WORKING MEMORY MODEL Flashcards
define the working memory model (WMM)
- represents how the STM is organized
- suggests STM is a dynamic processor of different types of information
- WMM is part of STM you use when working on something
who proposed the WMM?
Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
state components and order of the WMM
1 - central executive
2 - visuo-spatial sketch pad ( visual cache, inner scribe )
- episodic buffer
- phonological loop ( articulatory control system, phonological store )
3 - long term memory storage
outline the function of the central executive (slave driver)
- supervisory role and monitors information
- allocates tasks to the slave system
- retrieves information from the LTM
- can process information from any sensory modality
what is the capacity of the central executive?
- very limited, does not store info
outline the function of the phonological loop
- temporary storage system that processes informations in terms of sound (verbal and written material)
- limited capacity
how is the phonological loop encoded?
acoustically
what is the capacity of the phonological loop?
- 2 seconds worth of information
state function of the phonological store
- inner ear
- stores words you hear for 1-2 seconds
state function of articulatory process
- inner voice
- used to rehearse verbal information from phonological store
how do the phonological store and articulatory process work together?
- allow for maintenance rehearsal
- repeats words in a loop, keeping them in the working memory while needed
Outline the function of visuo-spatial sketchpad
- Temporary storage system that processes visual and spatial information into mental space called “the inner eye”
- Limited capacity
how is the VSS encoded?
visually
state capacity of the VSS
limited capacity of 3-4 items
state function of the visual cache
stores visual data (colour, form, other visual identity aspects)
state function of the inner scribe
records arrangements of objects in the visual field ( stores info about movement, spatial location )
state function of the episodic buffer
- combines visual, spatial and verbal information, maintaining a sense of time sequencing
- links to LTM
- temporary storage space for acoustic and visual information
state capacity of the episodic buffer
limited capacity of 4 chunks
how does the case of KF support the WMM
- provided evidence for multiple STM stores
- KF could remember better when reading out the list of words to himself than when they were read to him
- his performance was better when presented visual information than auditory information
- supports WMM, suggests one store encodes acoustically, whilst the other encoded visually
state a limitation of KF and other brain damage cases
- unsure of cognitive ability in areas other than his phonological loop
- he may have experienced other forms of trauma during his accident
- means that other injuries may have affected cognitive development
- so multiple systems may have been affected by the brain damage
- studies also cannot be replicated
how did Baddeley’s dual task study support the WMM
- ppq’s carried out a visual and verbal task at the same time and their performance was similar to results of carrying out tasks separately
- when carrying out both visual or both verbal tasks, their performance was significantly worse
- this is because both visual tasks use the same subsystem (the VSS), therefore compete against each other
- shows there must be be separate subsystems to process different types of information (the VSS and the PL)
what is a limitation of knowledge on the central executive?
- lack of clarity ofer nature of the central executive
- Baddeley stated that is is the “most important, but least understood component of the WMM”
- CE must be more clearly specified
- some believe is consists of subcomponents
how does the “word length effect” support the WMM?
- Baddeley gave ppts word lists to look at for a brief time, then asked them to recall in order
- found that short words were remembered easier than long words
- concluded capacity of PL was determined by the length of time it takes to say the word
- strengthens WMM by supporting idea that the PL’s duration is 1-2 seconds worth of words
describe the working memory model compared to the multi store model
- replaces the idea of a unitary STM
- system that involves active processing
what are strengths of the WMM?
- helps to explain how cognitive processes interact
- shows that memory is an active process, not passive
- sows different memory tasks that STM can deal with by identifying separate components
why would it be hard for to complete 2 visual tasks at once?
- participants would find this hard, as they would be competing for the same limited resources of the visuo-spatial skeptchpad, as they use the same component
what are limitations of the WMM?
- little is known about the central executive; evidence from brain studies suggests that it is not unitary
- it fails to account for musical memory, as we are able to listen to instrumentals without an affect on our performance on other acoustic tasks
