Working memory model

• Central Executive

  • Definition: Directs attention and coordinates the activities of other components of working memory.
  • Capacity: Limited; processes information in all sensory modalities.
• Phonological Loop

  • Components: Phonological store (stores what you hear) and articulatory process (rehearses information).
  • Key Point: Important for verbal and auditory information.
• Visuo-spatial Sketchpad

  • Function: Handles visual and spatial information (e.g., remembering a route or imagining an object).
  • Capacity: Limited, about 3 or 4 objects.
• Episodic Buffer

  • Function: Integrates information from all other stores and links working memory to long-term memory.
  • Capacity: Limited, handles chunks of information rather than individual items.
• Dual-task Performance

  • Finding: People can do two tasks simultaneously if they involve different systems (e.g., visual and verbal tasks).
  • Support: Strengthens the idea of separate stores for different types of information.
• Lack of Clarity over the Central Executive

  • Issue: The central executive is difficult to define and test.
  • Problem: Some argue that it is too vague and not fully explained in the model.
• Brain Scanning Studies

  • Evidence: Brain scans show that different parts of the brain are active when using the phonological loop versus the visuo-spatial sketchpad.
  • Support: Provides biological evidence for separate components in working memory.