Working Memory Model Flashcards
How did the Working Memory Model improve on the MSM?
Baddeley and Hitch’s WWM is a model of STM
Replaced the idea of a unitary STM
Suggests STM more active and complex than MSM proposed
Eg WWM believes STM can complete 2 different tasks at the same time
What is the aapcity and coding of the Central Executive?
Capacity is limited to no storage (the CE cannot attend to too many things at once)
Coding is flexible as each sense is coded differently
What are the features of the CE?
Control the other slave components and decides which component s required for task
Involved in planning, problem solving, decision making
Decides what the WM pays attention to
Give the capacity and coding of the Phonological Loop?
Limited capacity (2 seconds worth of what we say)
Codes info acoustically
What are the features of the Phonological Loop?
Processes sound based info
Can be subdivided into:
Primary Acoustic Store (PAS) linked to speech perception / receives auditory info and embers sound sin order presented in
Articulatory Process (AP) inked to speech production / used to prepare sounds and speech by using rehearsal
Give the capacity and coding of the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad? VSSP
Limited capacity of 3-4 objects
Codes info visually
What are the features of the VSSP?
Processes visual info
Subdivided into:
Visual Cache (VC) stores material about form and colour
Inner Scribe (IS) handles spatial relationships
What is the capacity and coding of the Episodic Buffer?
Temporary storage system and limited capacity of about four chunks
Coded across different ‘slave’ components
What are the features of the episodic buffer?
Brings together different types of info from VSSP and PL
Provides temporary storage of info
Controlled by the CE
Plays important role in retrieving info from LTM
Evaluate the WWM using the studies on dual task performance (to support the existence of the VSSP)
Baddeley found ppts had more difficulty doing 2 visual tasks (tracking a light and describing letter F) than doing a visual and verbal task at same time
Increased difficulty because both visual tasks compete for same slave system (VSSP) whereas when doing visual and verbal task simultaneously there is no competition as using separate components (VSSP and PL)
Suggests when undertaking 2 visual tasks they exceed the limited capacity of the VSSP and provides strong evidence for its existence
Evidence supports idea differen components within WM and they a he limited capacity
Evaluate the WWM using research support from PET scans
Empirical support from PET scans provides physiological evidence of differen components specialising in particular tasks
Eg Cohen et al found brain activity higher in Broca’s area (linked to PL) when doing verbal tasks
Whereas regions of occipital lobe (lined to visual processing) are activated when ppts complete task using VSSP
Provides strong neurological support for the WMM suggesting there is diff components responsible for different STM tasks
Evaluate the WWM using the oversimplification of the Central Executive as a limitation
Major issue of WMM is most important component, the CE, is over looked ad oversimplified
Evidence from case study of EVR contradicts idea of unitary CE
After having tumour removed, EVR performed well on reasoning tests (suggests CE intact) however had poor decision making skills / would spend hours deciding what to eat (suggests CE damaged)
Suggests several components the CE rather than one as the WMM suggests and in EVRs case only one was damaged
Evaluate the WMM using WMM not accounting for all types of memory as a limation?
One factor which undermines WMM as explanation for memory is its inability to account for all types of memory
Berz (1995) criticised model for failing to account for musical memory as we are able to listen to instrumental music wo impairing performance on other acoustic tasks
Listening to instrumental music should occupy the Primary Acoustic Stores limited capacity, making difficult to carry out other acoustic tasks
However this is not case
Suggests the WMM does not give complete picture of how diff types memory are processed
