Working Memory Model Flashcards
What is the main component of the working memory model?
The Central Executive
Why did the Working memory model get called the working memory model?
Because our STM is always working and information is constantly being processed and relayed.
Which part of STM handles subvocal and sound information?
Phonological loop
What is the collective name for the phonological loop and visual spatial Sketchpad?
Sub slave systems
Barrie prefers to do his homework whilst listening to music through his ear phones. Explain why Barrie is not likely to do well in his homework.
Barrie is not likely to do well because he is overloading the phonological loop. By doing two tasks that require the use of the phonological loop, one or both tasks will suffer.
What do the phonological loop and visual spatial Sketchpad have in common?
They both receive and send information to and from the Central Executive.
What are the two parts of the phonological loop?
Phonological store (audio) Articulatory store (speech)
Why is the phonological store called a ‘loop’?
You need the phonological store (sound) to interpret the articulatory loop (speech)
What 8is the nickname for the phonological store?
Inner ear
What role does the central executive have?
It sends information/tasks to the relevant slave systems and gathers the information when a ‘job’ (decision) has been made.
Why is Tim able to count the number of windows in his house even though it involves doing two things at once (counting and imagining his house)?
He is able to do the two tasks at the same time without struggling because each task uses a different part of the working memory. Imagining his windows uses the visual sketchpad whilst counting them uses his phonological loop!
Why is classical music used to challenge the theory?
Theoretically listening to music should distract you from things like reading and studying because it uses the phonological loop. HOWEVER classical music doesn’t cause any problems. Weird!
Which part of the working memory model do we know we least about?
The Central Executive
Which part of the STM is responsible for processing spatial information?
Visual Spatial Sketchpad
What evidence is there that links the working memory model to brain scans?
Brain scans reveal that for each slave system there appears to be a physical area of the brain that functions. For example when asking someone to make decisions (central executive) their frontal lobes are activated in the brain. When asking someone to imagine something (visual sketch pad) their visual cortex becomes active in the brain. This means the WMM may scientifically be accurate!!
