working memory model

• who created the working memory model

  Baddley and hitch (1974)
• what is the working memory model

  • the short term memory model
  • however, instead of all information going into one single store, there are different system for different types of information
• what does the working memory model propose

  • proposes that STM store is an active processor
  • STM is not a unitary store - it is a flexible and complex system consisting of several components
• what are the 4 sections of the working memory model

  • the central executive - controls the 3 slave system:
  • phonological loop
  • visuo-spatial sketchpad
  • episodic buffer
• what does the central executive do

  • it controls the 3 slave systems and decides which information is and is not attended to
  • has a limited capacity of 4 items
  • it is described as attention in the multi store model
  • it receives sense based information
• phonological loop

  • deals with auditory/ sound based information
  • short-term storage system called the phonological store acts as the inner ear, it holds onto the words you hear
  • active rehersal system called the articulatory process allows information to be kept in memory by sub-vocal repetition
  • duration is 2 seconds
• visuo-spatial sketchpad

  • it has a limited capacity
  • processes visual and spatical information
  • has a visual cache - a temporary visual store
  • has an inner scribe that acts as a rehersal mechanism - it is an active store of relationship and 3d space, arranges information into minds eye
• episodic buffer

  • this is the 3rd slave system
  • added to the model in 2000
  • it is a temporary store responsible for integrating the visual,spatial and verbal information from the other stores
  • it has a limited capacity of about 4 chunks
• Name the strengths of the working memory model

  • supporting evidence from gathercole and baddley
  • supporting evidence form KF study
  • less emphasis on rehersal explains why information can still end up in the LTM with no rehersal
• Gathercole and Baddley

  • ppts were split into 2 groups
  • condition 1: ppts followed a moving spot of light and described angles of letters (involves the visuo sptical sketchpad)
  • condition 2: ppts followed a moving spot of light and did a verbal task (involves the phonological loop and visuo spatical sketchpad)
  • ppts performed better when they were using seperate systems
• Shallice and Waringtopn (HM)

  • HM had epilepsy and severe damage to the hippocampus so a doctor removed part of his brain, the operation reduced the impacts of his epilepsy but resulted in memory loss
  • HM could remember STM but not form any new LTM
  • supports the idea that STM and LTM are in different sections of the brain
• name 2 disadvantages of the model

  • reductionist approach - central executive is oversimplified as it is only described as attention, there is no explanation for how it controls the 3 slaves systems
  • supporting evidence from lab experiments lack ecological validity and mudane realsim making it harder to generalsie results to a real world setting