working memory model

• what are the 4 stores of the working memory model?

  central executive

  phonological loop

  visual spatial sketchpad

  episodic buffer
• what does the central executive do?

  manages sub systems and processes information in all sensory forms, acts as a filter, has a limited capacity
• what does the phonological loop do?

  deals with auditory information and the order of information, has a limited capacity of words said in 2s
• what does the visual spatial sketchpad do?

  handles non-phonological information and is a temporary store for visual and spatial items
• what does the episodic buffer do?

  needed as the model needs a general store to operate - introduced to temporary store information combined together from previous 3 stores
• name a study into the research of the central executive

  Baddeley (1996)
• what were the findings of Baddeley (1996) into the research of the CE?

  • participants found it difficult to generate lists of random words while simultaneously switching between pressing numbers and letters on a keyboard

  CE cannot cope with doing 2 things at once meaning capacity is not large and both tasks compete
• name a case study into the research of the phonological loop

  Trojani & Grossi (1995)
• what were the findings of Trojani & Grossi (1995)?

  people who had brain damage affected the functioning of phonological loop but not visual spatial sketch pad suggesting 2 separate systems
• name a study into the research of the phonological loop

  Baddeley et al (1975)
• what were the findings of Baddeley et al (1975) - WMM, PL


  • reported on word length effect
  • participants recalled more short words in serial order than long words

  shows capacity is determined by word length not number of words
• what are the 2 stores sub divided in the visuo-spatial sketch pad?

  visual cache

  inner scribe
• what is the job of the visual cache in VSS?

  stores information about form and colour
• what is the job of the inner scribe in the VSS?

  rehearses and transfers information in visual cache to central executive & handles spatial relationships
• name a study into the research of VSS


  Gathercole and Baddeley (1993)
• what were the findings of Gathercole & Baddeley (1993)

  • participants couldn’t follow the light and recite internal angles of the letter ’F’ as both tasks were visual
  • participants could however follow the light and sing a song as the tasks were different in nature
• does Gathercole & Baddeley (1993) support the WMM?

  yes as each store needs its own place to function accordingly
• name one study into the research of the episodic buffer

  Prabhakaran et al (2000)
• what were the method and findings of Prabhakaran et al (2000)?

  • used fMRI scans to find greater right frontal brain activation for both verbal and spatial information but greater posterior activation for non combined information

  provides biological evidence of an EB that allows storage of intergrated information
• what did Alkhalia (2009) find into the research into RB?


  • reported on a patient with severely impaired LTM who had a STM capacity for 25 prose items

  suggests it supports the model and existence of an EB as it means there is extra ‘storage space’ to hold 25 items in a STM capacity
• one limitation of the central executive? (AO3)

  definition of CE is weak as it does not explain exactly what it does despite being the head system
• why the the WMM too simple? (AO3)

  there are different areas active during verbal and visual tasks suggesting that PL and VSS are 2 separate stores which is reflected in the biology of the brain
• what are the 2 sub-parts of the phonological loop?

  primary acoustic store

  articulatory process
• what does the primary acoustic store do?

  stores words recently heard
• what does articulatory process do?

  keeps information in the phonological loop through sub-vocal repetition of information and linked to speech production
• how is the VSS supporting the WMM? (AO3)

  PET scans show activation in left hemisphere during visual tasks and activation in the right for spatial information which suggests there are 2 stores in the VSS
• what is a limitation of supporting research for VSS? (AO3)

  lacks ecological validity as many studies are artificial there there is little knowledge about the VSS generally