Working memory model Flashcards
what is the WMM an explanation for?
STM only
who developed the WMM and why?
Baddeley and Hitch because the MSM doesn’t account that STM is not a single store
what does the WMM explain?
how STM is organised and how it functions.
It explains how the mind is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information
what are the 4 stores of the WMM?
-central executive
-phonological loop
-visuo-spatial sketchpad
-episodic buffer
what does the phonological loop branch into?
phonological store and articulatory loop
what does the visuo-spatial sketchpad branch into?
inner scribe and visual cache
what is the central executive and what is its function?
an attentional process that monitors incoming information
it solves problems, makes decisions and allocates tasks to the two slave systems (PL and VSS)
what is the capacity of the central executive?
limited/ no capacity
what does the phonological loop do?
deals with auditory information and preserves the order of information
what does the phonological store branch do?
holds words in your ear like the inner ear
what does the articulatory loop do?
silently repeats words- like the inner voice- as a rehearsal process
what is the capacity of the phonological loop?
about two seconds worth of what you can say
what does the visuo-spatial sketchpad do?
deals with visual and spatial tasks
what is the capacity of the visuo-spatial sketchpad?
about 3 or 4 objects
what does the visual cache do?
stores visual data
what does the inner scribe do?
records spatial arrangement of objects
when did Baddeley add the episodic buffer and why?
2000 because the model lacked a general store
what is the function of the episodic buffer?
integrate and store information temporarily from the other 3 components
transfers information to and from LTM
what is the capacity of the episodic buffer?
four chunks of info
explain how the WMM argues the STM actively processes information, rather than the MSM?
information goes into the central executive who sends info to the slave stores, info is integrated and temporarily stored in the episodic buffer.
what happened to KF?
suffered brain damage in motorbike accident, KF could recall information that he read (VSS) but not if it was read to him(PL)
why does the case of KF support the model?
shows STM is not a single store, it must be made up of separate components for visual and verbal information
what is a counter point for the case of KF?
he had unique brain damage so we can’t make assumptions about how everyone’s brain works based on one case study
what do dual tasks show that supports the model ?
people have great difficulty doing two tasks that use the same component of the working memory
what two groups did the Baddeley et al 1975 study involve?
group 1 - describe letter F and track beam of light
group 2 - complete a verbal task and track a beam of light
why did the verbal task group do better in the Baddeley research?
verbal task = PL
track beam = VSS
describe letter F= VSS
track beam = VSS
harder to do two tasks using same component
how do dual task studies support the working memory model?
shows PL and VSS must be separate components, also shows they both have a limited capacity
what real life application can we give dual studies?
listening to music with words and trying to write an essay overloads the PL so should be avoided
how is brain scan evidence a strength of the working memory model?
studies show different parts of the brain are involved in auditory and visual tasks
give an example of how brain scan evidence supports the WMM?
different parts of the brain are active when doing tasks using a different component of the model e.g. the PL, VSS and CE
e.g. Broca’s and Wernicke’s area in the left hemisphere are active when using PL whereas back of brain (occipital lobe) is active when using VSS.
how does brain scan evidence support the WMM?
shows each component is located in a different part of the brain and therefore must be separate components.
how can the central executive be used as a limitation of the WMM?
role of CE is unclear and vague
how does the case of EVR support that the role of the central executive is vague in the WMM?
after suffering brain injury, EVR was able to solve problems but not make decisions. Both these are supposed to be functions of the CE.
This suggests the CE is not a single store as the model suggests
what sort of memory does the WMM not account for?
musical memory- it is possible to process instrumental music and do a verbal task at the same time (both using PL)
how can musical memory be a limitation of the WMM?
musical memory must not be part of the PL but this isn’t explained by the model
what practical applications has the WMM got?
phonological deficits observed in dyslexia can be linked to articulatory loop.
this can be useful in understanding how to support people with dyslexia to improve their reading ability.
