working memory model

• Who developed the Working Memory Model? (1974)

  Baddeley and Hitch
• What does the term Working Memory refer to?


  The information being used while working on a complex task
• What are the slave systems in the Working Memory Model?


  • Phonological Loop
  • Visuo-spatial Sketch Pad
  • Episodic Buffer
• What is the capacity of the Working Memory Model?


  4 items
• What is the duration of information in the Working Memory Model?


  2 seconds
• What role does the central executive play in the Working Memory Model?


  It pays attention and coordinates actions of the subsystems
• What does the episodic buffer do in the Working Memory Model?


  It serves as a temporary store integrating visual, spatial, and verbal information
• What is the function of the phonological loop?


  It acts as a rehearsing system for auditory information
• What are the two components of the phonological loop?


  Phonological store and articulatory rehearsal
• What does the visuo-spatial sketchpad do?


  It processes visual and spatial information
• What evidence supports the Working Memory Model from the case study of KF?


  KF had impaired verbal STM but intact visual and spatial processing
• What does KF's case study suggest about the structure of STM?


  It supports the idea of separate stores for different types of information
• What did Prabhakaran et al. (2000) find regarding working memory?

  They found that working memory is located in the prefrontal cortex
• What is the significance of the dual task in Baddeley et al. (1975) study?

  It supports the idea of separate processing systems in working memory
• What are the limitations of the Working Memory Model?


  • Lack of clarity over the central executive
  • Uncertainty about its location and function
• What are the real-life applications of research into working memory?


  • Understanding ADHD and memory problems
  • Working memory impairment in adults with ADHD (alderson et al 2013)
• What did the meta-analysis confirm about adult ADHD participants?


  They showed deficits in both visual space and phonological loop working memory tasks
• prabhakaran et al (2000)

  • fMRI
  • condition 1 - seperate verbal and spatial task
  • condition 2 - integrated verbal and spatial task
  • non integrated- activity in posterior areas of brain
  • integrated - increased activation in prefrontal cortex

  shows that episodic buffer exists, is in prefrontal cortex

  
  

  spatial uses vss

  verbal uses pl
• episodic buffer 


  region specialised in combination and temporary storage of visual and auditory/ verbal information
• baddeley et al (1975) - dual task experiment


  condition 1 - complete two visual tasks simultaneously

  condition 2 - complete one visual and one verbal task

  performed better with visual and verbal combination, as visua spatial sketchpad dealt with visual task and the phonological loop dealt with the verbal

  supports that there are subsystems (slave systems) and they are seperate

  
  

  pl can only deal with one task at a time, hence why condition 1 was harder
• divided visua-spatial sketchpad (robert logie 1995)


  • visual cache (visual data)
  • inner scribe (records arenagements of objects)
• suggests stm is a dynamic processor (ever changing) of different types of information using sub- units coordinated by a central decision making system
• kf

  • shallice and warrington (1970s)
  • motorcycle accident, damaged prefrontal cortex
  • auditory processing damaged
  • visual processing remained same
  • shows that auditory and visual information are stored differently. there are different stm components
• working memory model is only for stm
• epsisodic buffer (simple)


  time awareness
• tulving 1985


  realsied wmm view of ltm was too simplistic and inflexible