WORKING MEMORY MODEL

Question 1

define the working memory model (WMM)

Answer 1

• 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

Question 2

who proposed the WMM?

Answer 2

Baddeley and Hitch (1974)

Question 3

state components and order of the WMM

Answer 3

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

Question 4

outline the function of the central executive (slave driver)

Answer 4

• supervisory role and monitors information
• allocates tasks to the slave system
• retrieves information from the LTM
• can process information from any sensory modality

Question 5

what is the capacity of the central executive?

Answer 5

• very limited, does not store info

Question 6

outline the function of the phonological loop

Answer 6

• temporary storage system that processes informations in terms of sound (verbal and written material)
• limited capacity

Question 7

how is the phonological loop encoded?

Answer 7

acoustically

Question 8

what is the capacity of the phonological loop?

Answer 8

• 2 seconds worth of information

Question 9

state function of the phonological store

Answer 9

• inner ear
• stores words you hear for 1-2 seconds

Question 10

state function of articulatory process

Answer 10

• inner voice
• used to rehearse verbal information from phonological store

Question 11

how do the phonological store and articulatory process work together?

Answer 11

• allow for maintenance rehearsal
• repeats words in a loop, keeping them in the working memory while needed

Question 12

Outline the function of visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 12

• Temporary storage system that processes visual and spatial information into mental space called “the inner eye”
• Limited capacity

Question 13

how is the VSS encoded?

Answer 13

visually

Question 14

state capacity of the VSS

Answer 14

limited capacity of 3-4 items

Question 15

state function of the visual cache

Answer 15

stores visual data (colour, form, other visual identity aspects)

Question 16

state function of the inner scribe

Answer 16

records arrangements of objects in the visual field ( stores info about movement, spatial location )

Question 17

state function of the episodic buffer

Answer 17

• combines visual, spatial and verbal information, maintaining a sense of time sequencing
• links to LTM
• temporary storage space for acoustic and visual information

Question 18

state capacity of the episodic buffer

Answer 18

limited capacity of 4 chunks

Question 19

how does the case of KF support the WMM

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

state a limitation of KF and other brain damage cases

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

how did Baddeley’s dual task study support the WMM

Answer 21

• 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)

Question 22

what is a limitation of knowledge on the central executive?

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

how does the “word length effect” support the WMM?

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

describe the working memory model compared to the multi store model

Answer 24

• replaces the idea of a unitary STM
• system that involves active processing

Question 25

what are strengths of the WMM?

Answer 25

• 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

Question 26

why would it be hard for to complete 2 visual tasks at once?

Answer 26

• 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

Question 27

what are limitations of the WMM?

Answer 27

• 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