working model of memory

Question 1

what is The Working Memory Model

Answer 1

The working memory model (WMM), proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974), proposes a dynamic view of short-term memory.

Question 2

what does the working model consist of

Answer 2

the central executive (CE).
The phonological loop (PL).
The visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS).
A fourth component, called the episodic buffer (EB), was added in 2000.

Question 3

what does The working memory model (WMM) attempt to rectify

Answer 3

• some of the criticisms of the multi-store model by proposing a more dynamic view of short-term memory.
• The WMM thinks of short-term memory as working memory, a dynamic construct that allows for the manipulation of information within the short-term store.
• This is different from the proposal of Atkinson and Shiffrin that short-term memory is a static structure that just temporarily stores information.

Question 4

Examples of working memory

Answer 4

• used when performing certain cognitive functions, such as mental arithmetic.
• Information in long-term memory is accessed and transferred to working memory where it is combined with new information and manipulated.
• If a person is asked to count the number of windows in their house using only their memory, the required information about their house stored in long-term memory would combine with current task requirements.
• The counting would take place in working memory.

Question 5

what is the Central Executive

Answer 5

• processes information in all sensory forms
• directs this information to the appropriate component.

Question 6

central executive capacity

Answer 6

has a limited unknown capacity and can only effectively cope with one strand of information at a time.

Question 7

Central Executive attention being divided

Answer 7

When attention needs to be divided (for example, when driving and engaging in conversation), the CE decides how resources are shared, switching attention between different inputs of information.

Question 8

Baddeley (1996)

Answer 8

• asked participants to generate lists of random numbers while simultaneously switching between number and letters on a keyboard.
• Participants found the task difficult because the two tasks appeared to be competing for the same CE resources.
• Because the CE only has a limited capacity, it is difficult to cope with more than one type of information at a time

Question 9

FMRI scans - D’Esposito et al. (1995)

Answer 9

used fMRI scans and identified that the pre-frontal cortex is activated when verbal and spatial tasks are performed at the same time. This suggests that the PFC is involved in CE.

Question 10

Evaluating the CE

Answer 10

• little is known about the CE at present and it isn’t clear how it works or what it does precisely.
• This vagueness means that it can be used to explain a variety of experimental results.
• E.g. if two tasks cannot be performed together, is it because the two components are conflicting or because they exceed the CE capacity?
• The CE is perhaps better understood as a component that controls the focus of attention, rather than being a memory store.

Question 11

what does The phonological loop (PL) deal with

Answer 11

• deals with auditory information (information in the form of sound) and the order of information

Question 12

two sub-systems of phonological loop

Answer 12

• the phonological store store (or inner ear) - stores words recently heard.
• The articulatory process (or inner voice) - keeps information in the PL through sub-vocalised repetition of information and is linked to speech production.

Question 13

Trojani and Grossi (1995) - SC case study

Answer 13

• conducted a case study of an individual known as SC, who suffered brain damage affecting the functioning of the PL but not the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS).
• This suggests that the PL and VSS are separate systems.

Question 14

Baddeley at al. (1975) investigated what is known as the word length effect

Answer 14

• where participants recalled more short words in serial order than longer words.
• Baddeley concluded that the capacity of the PL is set by the duration of words and not the number of words.

Question 15

Evaluating the Phonological loop

Answer 15

• PET scans show that different areas are activated when doing verbal and visual tasks. This adds further support that the PL and VSS exist as separate systems within the brain infrastructure.
• The PL is associated with the evolution of human vocal language.
• The development of the PL is seen to convey an evolutionary advantage. This is because of short-term ability to remember vocalisations which help in the learning of more complex language abilities, such as grammar and meaning.

Question 16

what does the Visuo-spatial sketchpad do

Answer 16

• temporarily stores visual and spatial information, including the relationship between them (such as what they are and where they are located).
• The VSS helps people to navigate around and interact with their physical environment.
• Information in the VSS is coded and rehearsed through the use of mental pictures.

Question 17

visa-spatial sketchpad sub- systems

Answer 17

• visual cache (VC) that stores visual information in the form of colour
• inner scribe (IS) that handles spatial relationships, rehearses and transfers information in the visual cache to the central executive.

Question 18

Gathercole and Baddeley (1993) found that participants encountered problems when simultaneously tracking a moving point of light and performing a spatial task.

Answer 18

• this difficulty arose because both tasks involved using the VSS.
• Participants had little difficulty tracking the light and performing a verbal task simultaneously. This was because one task was using the phonological loop and the other was using the VSS.

Question 19

Evaluating the VSS - PET scans

Answer 19

• PET scans indicate that PL and VSS are located in different parts of the brain.
• PET scans indicate that the left hemisphere of the brain is activated with visual tasks, and that the right hemisphere is activated with spatial information. This suggests that the VC and IS are separate constructs.
• Studies into the VSS often lack mundane realism (similarity to the real world) because many of the studies use dual-task techniques that are rarely encountered in everyday life.

Question 20

Klauer and Zhao (2004)

Answer 20

• found more interference between two visual tasks than between a visual and a spatial task.
• This adds support to the notion of a separate VC and IS component.

Question 21

why was The episodic buffer (EB) added

Answer 21

• Baddeley added the EB in 2000 because it had been suggested that the working memory model needed a general store to operate correctly.
• The EB explains how it is possible to temporarily store information combined together from the central executive (CE), the phonological loop (PL), the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS) and long-term memory.
• The EB tries to correct problems caused by the limited capacity of both the PL and VSS as well as problems with CE storage of visual and acoustic information.

Question 22

Brain imaging evidence - Prabhakaran et al

Answer 22

• used fMRI scans and found greater right-frontal brain activation for combined verbal and spatial information, but greater posterior activation for non-combined information.
• This provides biological support for an EB that allows the temporary storage of integrated information.

Question 23

Patient study- Alkhalifa (2009)

Answer 23

• described the case of a patient with severely impaired long-term memory who, nevertheless, demonstrated a short-term memory capacity of up to twenty-five prose items, exceeding the capacity of both the PL and the VSS.
• This provides support for an episodic buffer that holds information in working memory until it is recalled.