Working memory model

• The working memory model

  • The working memory model was proposed as a replacement for the MSM’s concept of a single, unitary STM store.
  • It suggests that STM is not merely a passive, temporary storage but actively processes and stores information.
  • Working memory was introduced as a term to reflect this active processing system.
  • The model consists of four main components:

  - Central Executive

  - Phonological Loop

  - Visuospatial Sketchpad

  - Episodic Buffer
• Central executive of WMM

  Processes information in all sensory forms (e.g. acoustic and visual) and directs this information to the model’s slave systems. Because it has a limited capacity, it also controls the division and allocation of our attention to tasks.
• Phonological loop of WMM

  One of the slave systems controlled by the central executive. It deals with auditory information that is coded acoustically. The phonological loop is subdivided into the Phonological store and the Articulatory process
• Phonological store in the Phonological loop

  Stores the words you hear in speech form.
• Articulatory process with Phonological loop

  Allows for maintenance rehearsal (repeating sounds/words) to keep them in working memory while they are needed. The capacity of this ‘loop’ is limited to what can be said in approximately 2 seconds.
• Visuo-spatial sketchpad of the WMM

  One of the slave systems controlled by the central executive. It processes and stores visual information (what objects look like) and spatial information (where they are in the environment). It codes informational visually and is limited to a capacity of 3-4 objects. The VSS is subdivided into the Visual cache and Inner scribe
• Episodic buffer of WMM

  the third slave system that was later added to the model. It is a general storage space for acoustic, visual and spatial information. It therefore integrates information from the phonological loop and the visuo-spatial sketchpad to form whole ‘episodes’ of information. It has a limited capacity

  of about 4 chunks of information.
• Evaluate the working memory model

  • supporting evidence for the existence of different slave systems and their limited capacity
  • supporting evidence for the limited capacity of the phonological loop being limited to what can be said in approximately 2 seconds
  • the idea of the central executive has received supporting evidence
  • the central executive is vague and untestable that it advanced the MSM’s way of explaining the storage and processing of memory