Working memory model Flashcards
Which part of memory does the WMM describe?
Short term memory
Name the 4 stores in the working memory model
Central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad, episodic buffer
Describe the function and capacity of the central executive
Solves problems, makes decisions and delegated tasks to two slave systems. It has a limited capacity
Describe the function and capacity of the phonological loop
Deals with auditory information and preserves the order of information. It has a capacity of 2 seconds
Subdivided into:
-Phonological store (holds words you hear)
-Articulatory loop (silently repeats words as a rehearsal process)
Describe the function and capacity of the visuo-spatial sketchpad
Deals with visual and spatial tasks such as planning a journey, remembering a face and recalling shops on a street. It has a capacity of about 3 or 4 objects.
Subdivided into:
-Visual cache (stores visual data)
-Inner scribe (records spatial arrangement of objects)
Describe the function and capacity of the episodic buffer
Baddeley added it because the model lacked a general store. Function is to integrate and store information temporarily from the CE, PL, VSS and LTM. Has a capacity of 4 chunks of information
How does the case study of KF support the model?
The case of KF shows that after suffering brain damage in a motorbike accident, KF could still recall information from his STM if he read it but had difficulty with the same information if he heard it. This supports the WMM as it shows that his VSS was undamaged but his PL was damaged so they must be separate stores
Why might it be difficult to make generalisations about working memory from case studies like KF?
We can’t assume that everyone’s working memory works in the same way
How does evidence from brain scans support the model?
Studies show that different parts of the brain are involved in auditory and visual tasks. For example the case of KF shows that after suffering from a motorbike accident, KF could recall info from his STM if he read it but had difficulty with the same info if he heard it. This supports the WMM as his VSS was undamaged but his PL was damaged so they’re separate stores
Why is the central executive unclear?
The case of EVR demonstrates as after suffering a brain injury, EVR was able to solve problems but not make decisions. Both of these skills are supposed to be functions of the central executive so therefore the central executive is more complex than the model suggests and is made up of different stages, meaning it isn’t unitary
Explain why the WMM doesn’t account for musical memory
Participants can listen to instrumental music without impacting performance on other acoustic tasks. This goes against the model because it suggests that musical memory must be processed separately to the phonological loop
How do dual task studies explain the WMM?
Baddeley et al in 1975 got group 1 to describe the letter F first and then track a beam of light on a screen and got group 2 to sing a nursery rhyme and track a beam of light on a screen. Group 2 did better because group 1 used their VSS and their PL but group 2 only used their VSS so group 1 were overloaded
Name the three different types of long term memory
Semantic
Episodic
Procedural
What is semantic memory?
Memory for facts/knowledge of the world
Not time stamped
Recalled consciously
Less personal than episodic
What is episodic memory?
Memory for personal events
Includes memory of when, where, who, behaviours
Consciously and with effort
Time stamped
What is procedural memory?
Memory for actions/skills
Without conscious effort
Difficult to explain verbally
Give a difference between episodic and procedural memory
Episodic is recalled consciously and with effort whereas procedural is recalled without conscious effort
Give a difference between episodic and semantic memory
Semantic memory is less personal than episodic memories
Give a difference between semantic and procedural memory
Semantic is recalled consciously whereas procedural is recalled without conscious effort
How does Tulving’s 1994 study support different types of LTM?
PET scans show the left frontal lobs is active when retrieving semantic memories whereas the right frontal lobe is active when recalling episodic memories so therefore there are different sections of the brain for episodic and semantic stores
How does the case of Clive Wearing support the different types of LTM?
His procedural memory was intact (playing piano), he had some semantic memories (facts about his childhood) and episodic memory was destroyed (couldn’t remember any events that happened to him). This supports because they were all affected differently so must be separate stores
