Working memory model MEM Flashcards
the working memory model
definition
A representation of STM. It suggests that STM is a dynamic processor of different types of information using subunits co-ordinated by a central decision- making system.
central executive CE
def
the component of the WMM that coordinates the activities of the three subsystems in memory and it allocates processing resources to those activities.
phonological loop
def
THe component of the WMM that processes information in terms of sound.
visio-spatial sketchpad
def
The component of the WMM that Processes visual and spatial information in a mental space often called our ‘inner eye’
episodic buffer
def
the component of the WMM that brings together material from the other subsystems into a single memory rather than separate strands and provides a bridge between working memory and LTM
WMM
- Model that explains how short term memory is organised and how it functions
- Concerned with mental space, that is active, when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information (e.g. working on a maths problem)
- Model consists of 4 main components- each different in terms of coding and capacity
*
CE
- Has a supervisory role
- Monitors incoming data, focuses and divides our limited attention and allocates subsystems to tasks
- Limited processing capacity
- Does not store information
PL
Deals with auditory information (coding is acoustic)
Preserves the order in which information arrives in
Subdivided into:
- Phonological store (stores words you hear)
- Articulatory process (allows maintenance rehearsal- repeating sounds in a loop to keep them in working memory)- capacity is around 2s
VSS
Stores visual and/or spatial information when required
(E.g. when asked how many windows on your house, you visualise it)
Limited capacity- Baddley= 3 or 4 objects
Logie= divided VSS into:
- Visual cache (stores visual data)
- Inner scribe (records arrangement of objects in visual field)
EB
Temporary store for information (integrates visual, spatial, verbal)
Maintains a sense of time sequencing (recording events as they happen)
Seen as the storage component of the CE
Limited capacity- Baddley= 4 chunks
Links working memory to LTM and wider cognition (e.g. perception)
clinical evidence
strenght and counterpoint
- Shallice and Warrington= case study on KF
- After his brain injury, KF= poor STM ability for auditory information, but could process visual information normally
- E.g. immediate recall of letters and numbers was better when he read them, than when they were read to him
- KF’s phonological loop was damaged, but his visual-spatial sketchpad was still intact
- Supports existence of separate visual and acoustic memory stores
BUT
* Unclear if KF had other cognitive impairments, which may have affected his performance on memory tasks (E.g. trauma from motorcycle accident)
* Challenges evidence from clinical studies of people with brain injuries that may have affected many different systems
dual task performance
strenght
- Supports separate existence of the VSS
- When Baddley et al’s participants carried out a dual task (visual and verbal), their performance on each was similar to when they carried out the tasks separately
- This is because both visual tasks compete for VSS, whereas there is no competition when performing a verbal and visual task together
- Shows there is a separate subsystem (VSS) that processes visual input
nature of central executive task
limitation
- Lack of clarity over the nature of CE task
- Baddley said ‘The CE is the most important but the least understood component of working memory’
- CE needs to be more clearly specified, than just being ‘attention’
- E.g. some psychologists think the CE consists of subcomponents
- CE is an unsatisfactory component and this challenges the integrity of the WMM
validity of WMM
STRENGTH: Dual-task studies support WMM. So there must be separate components in working memory
LIMITATION: Tasks used in studies lack realism and are carried out in highly controlled lab conditions
