Working Memory Model Flashcards
What does the working memory model consist of?
- the central executive
- phonological loop
- visuo-spatial sketchpad
- episodic buffer.
What is the central executive and how does it work?
The central executive is ‘the boss’
It allocates pieces of information to the relevant slave systems of the working memory model.
What is the function of the phonological loop?
processes and stores auditory information
How is the phonological loop subdivided?
into the phonological store and the articulatory control process.
What does the phonological store do?
stores the words you hear
What does the articulatory control process do?
allows for maintenance rehearsal
What is the function of the visuo - spatial sketchpad?
stores and processes visual and spacial information
what is visual information?
concerns what we see
What is spatial information?
concerns where objects are in relation to yourself.
What is episodic buffer?
It integrates information from the other stores and ties it all together - it maintains time sequencing.
eg - if you see a dog and then hear it bark, the episodic buffer would know that the bark came after seeing the dog.
coding for central executive -
acoustic and visual
capacity for central executive -
doesn’t hold info
capacity for phonological loop -
how much you can say in 1 - 2 seconds
coding for phonological loop -
acoustic
capacity for VSS -
3 - 4 items
coding for VSS -
visual
capacity for episodic buffer -
doesn’t hold info
coding for episodic buffer -
acoustic and visual
Strength of the WMM -
Dual task studies support the idea that there is one store for visual information, and another for verbal.
Baddeley found that ppts had more difficulty completing 2 visual tasks at the same time, as opposed to doing one verbal and one visual at the same time.
This is because the 2 visual tasks were competing for the limited processing capabilities of the VSS. Whereas when there was one verbal one visual the tasks were not competing since the visual was completed by the VSS, and the verbal completed bu the phonological loop.
Limitation of the WMM -
There are theoretical limitations for the WMM
Lieberman criticised the WMM as the VSS implies that all spatial information was once visual. However, Lieberman points out that blind people have excellent spatial awareness, even though they haven’t processed any visual information. Lieberman argues that the VSS should be separated into 2 components. visual information and spacial information.
What do brain scan studies show in relation to visual and spatial information?
They provide evidence that visual and spacial information are processed in different parts of the brain.
Visual tasks activate the left hemisphere of the brain while spatial tasks activate the right hemisphere of the brain.
