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
