Working Model of Memory

Question 1

who developed the WMM?

Answer 1

Baddeley and Hitch

Question 2

4 parts of the WMM

Answer 2

• central exectutive
• episodic buffer
• phonological loop
• visuospatial sketch pad

Question 3

function, coding, capacity

central executive

Answer 3

• supervisory role, allocating tasks to other subsystems
• coding is modality free
• capactity is very limited

Question 4

function, coding, capacity

visuospatial sketchpad

Answer 4

• used to plan spatial tasks and store visual and spatial info
• coding is modality specific (visual)
• capacit is limited to around 4 bits

Question 5

function, coding, capacity and duration

phonological loop

Answer 5

• stores speech based sounds
• coding is modality specific (acoustic)
• capacity is limited
• duration is limited to around 2 seconds

Question 6

2 parts of VSS

Answer 6

1. visual cache - stores info ab colour and form
2. inner scribe - stores arrangement of objects in visual field

Question 7

2 parts of phonological loop

Answer 7

1. phonological store - holds words heard
2. articulatory process - silent repitition

Question 8

function, coding, capacity

episodic buffer

Answer 8

• allows CE to access info stored in LTM andd integrate it w/ info in other subsystems
• coding is modality free
• capacity is limited to around 4 bits

Question 9

outline Baddeley’s dual task performance investigation

Answer 9

• Ps do a visual task and a 2nd task at the same time
• 2nd task either imagine hollow ‘F’ and describe its angles or repeating words
• task 1 impaired performance on og task but task 2 didn’t

Question 10

who subdivided the VSS?

Answer 10

Logie

Question 11

what are automated tasks?

Answer 11

tasks we have repeatedly practiced so they have become automatic

Question 12

why are automated tasks useful?

Answer 12

theydon’t require much space in the WM as are in the LTM, so this frees up the CE to focus on other things

Question 13

WMM evaluation phrase

Answer 13

Cohen’s double digit tumor is vague

Question 14

how is Cohen’s study a strength of the WMM

Answer 14

• put Ps in a fmri scanner and had them carry out different tasks
• when CE working, activity was in the frontal lobe (PFC)
• occipital lobe active when task was visual
• suggests tasks using differnt parts of the WM use different parts of the brain

Question 15

how do Baddeley’s dual task experiments support the WMM?

Answer 15

• show must be different subsystems that process visual (VSS) and sound based (PL) info, as WMM suggests

Question 16

how does KF support the WMM?

Answer 16

• after accident, KF had very poor STM for sound based info (PL), but normal STM for visual info (VSS)
• his digit span was much better for seeing the letters than hearing them
• supports idea that these are separate parts of the STM, as model suggests

Question 17

why do some psychoogists feel the CE is too vague?

Answer 17

• model doesn’t give enough info about ho the CE allocates resources, despite it’s important role
• feel too vague to suggest it is ‘attention’ and eel this does not explin its role adequately

Question 18

what does the case of EVR tell us about memory?

Answer 18

• EVR had a brain tumor removed
• performed well o reasoning tests, suggesting CE intact
• had poor decision making skills, suggesting CE not wholly in tact
• suggests CE more complex than the single component suggested by Baddeley and Hitch in the WMM

Question 19

weakness of case studies such as EVR

Answer 19

• highly detailed but cannot be generalised