working memory model - Baddeley and Hitch 1974 Flashcards
when was the model created?
1974
what is it a model of ?
the short-term memory
what components does it suggest the short-term memory is made up of?
- central executive
- phonological loop
- the visuo-spatial sketch pad
- episodic buffer
what is the “central executive”?
the key component and has the capacity to focus, divide and switch attention
- capacity is limited
what is the phonological loop?
- limited capacity
- deals with auditory info and preserves them in word order
- it split into two parts:
1. the phonological store = deals with words heard
2. the Articulatory control system = deals with words heard and seen and silently repeats them like a loop - it is an inner voice.
what is the visuo-spatial sketch pad?
- inner eye
- manipulates and deals with visual information
- it is also split into two parts:
1. video cache = deals with form and colour
2. inner scribe = deals with spatial info and movement.
what is the episodic buffer?
it was added much later than the other models and brings all the components together and creates an order.
- was added in 2000
- transfers things to the LTM
how do scans of the brain support the WMM?
brain scans which have
shown that visual objects activate an area in
the left hemisphere of the brain, and spatial
tasks the right.
what is the most important weakness of the WMM ?
The most important weakness of the working
memory model is that the functions of the central
executive are vague and difficult to test. - it is not a physical thing.
why might the way research into this area lack ecological validity?
• Much of the lab support for the model uses artificial tasks which lack
validity: because the tasks are not true-to-life, you cannot guarantee that
this is how are memory works in real life
