Working memory model, (CP)

Question 1

What is the working memory model?

Answer 1

Baddeley and Hitch’s (1974) WMM is an explanation of how short-term memory is organised and how it functions

Suggests that STM is a dynamic processor. The memory is being actively worked with and manipulated

Contains a number of different stores that process specific types of information, coordinated by a central decision-making system

Question 2

Define central executive (CE)? give example

Answer 2

• Acts as the attentional controller, managing focus, division, and switching of attention between tasks.
• Limited capacity and duration, not storing any information.
• Modality-free, meaning it can process information in any form without encoding in a specific manner.

For example: two activities sometimes come into conflict such as driving a car and talking. Rather than hitting a cyclist who is wobbling across the road, it is preferable to stop talking and focus on driving. The CE directs attention and gives priority of focussed attention to driving over talking.

Question 3

Define phonological loop (PL, 1st store)? give example

Answer 3

Temporary slave system for auditory information and the order of sounds/words.

Subdivided into:
- Phonological store (inner ear): stores the words that we hear
- Articulatory process (inner voice): allows maintenance rehearsal via sub-vocal repetition

• Capacity = 2 seconds worth of what you can say.
• PL has a limited duration, and encodes information acoustically.

For example: you will be able to hold an auditory memory of your teachers last sentence when she dictates notes to you in class

Question 4

Define visuo-spacial sketchpad (VSS, 2nd store)? give example

Answer 4

Temporary slave system for visual (what things look like) and spatial (physical relationships between things) information. The VSS has a limited capacity (3-4 objects) and a limited duration.

Subdivided into:
- Visual cache (2D): stores visual data
- Inner scribe (3D): for spatial relations of objects we can see. It is the process that allows you to rehearse visual/spatial information, to maintain it in the visual cache.

For example: if someone asks you for direction, you can visualise the route in your VSS.

Question 5

Define episodic buffer (EB, 3rd store)? give example

Answer 5

• Integrates acoustic, visual, and spatial information processed by other subsystems, maintains a sense of time sequencing, and records events.
• Limited capacity, approximately four chunks of information.
• Combines information from other subsystems with long-term memory and links to wider cognitive processes (e.g. perception)
• Provides chronological order

Question 6

Summary of working memory model (CE, PL, VSS, EB). Types of information/ coding, subcomponents, capacity, duration

Answer 6

Central executive:
- Types of information/ coding = modality free
- Subcomponents = N/A
- Capacity = limited
- Duration = does not store information

Phonological loop:
- Types of information/ coding = auditory
- Subcomponents = phonological loop, articulatory process
- Capacity = what can be read out loud in 2s
- Duration = limited duration

Visuo-spatial sketchpad:
- Types of information/ coding = visual
- Subcomponents = visual cache, inner scribe
- Capacity = 3-4 objects
- Duration = limited duration

Episodic buffer:
- Types of information/ coding = modality free
- Subcomponents = N/A
- Capacity = 4 chunks of info
- Duration = limited duration

Question 7

Evaluate a strength of WMM (with a counterpoint)

Answer 7

I - Evidence from case studies of brain damaged patients also support the idea of separate short term memory stores.
J - For example, Shallice and Warrington, (1974) reported the case of KF who suffered short-term memory impairment following a motorbike. KF had a digit span of one, suggesting a gross impairment in his phonological store, but his visual memory was intact.
E - This supports the proposal that working memory has two subsystems to deal with verbal and visuospatial information relatively independently.

Counterpoint - However, such case studies are limited to unique individuals with specific impairments so care should be taken when generalising these findings to the wider population.

Question 8

Evaluate a weakness of WMM

Answer 8

I - Another weakness is that there are problems in specifying the precise functioning of the central executive.
J - Elsinger and Damasio (1985) describe a case study of a man with brain damage resulting from the removal of a brain tumour. His reasoning was good, his IQ was high and he coped well with interference during memory tasks – all of which indicated that his central executive was working well. However, his decision making was very poor; for example, it took him hours to decide where to eat.
E - This is a weakness of the model because if the central executive were a single system, we would expect all or none of these abilities to be affected, therefore this case suggests the central executive is not a single system.