the working memory model

• what is the working memory model

  an explanation of how one aspect of memory (STM) is organized and how it functions
• what are the 5 stores of the WMM

  • episodic buffer
  • central executive
  • phonological loop
  • visuo spatial sketchpad
  • LTM
• how many components are there in the WMM

  4 mains components
• what does the WMM say about the STM

  the SMT is not a single store but is made up of 4 separate units that all work together to enable us to write, talk, listen and think all at the same time
• what are 2 examples of when people talk, listen and think at the same time

  • driving
  • talking to a friend while texting
• which part of the mind is the concerned WMM

  it is concerned with the part of the mind that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information such as when working on a math's problem
• what are the 2 sections of the phonological loop

  • phonological store
  • articulatory control process
• what is the coding of the central executive

  coding is flexible
• what is the capacity of the central executive

  very limited
• what is the coding of the phonological loop

  acoustic
• what is the capacity of the phonological loop

  2 seconds
• what is the coding of the visuo-spatial sketchpad

  visual and spatial
• what is the capacity of the visuo-spatial sketchpad

  3 or 4 objects
• what is the coding of the episodic buffer

  flexible
• what is the capacity of the episodic buffer

  about 4 chunks
• what is the central executive

  • controller
  • the component of the WMM that co-ordinates the activities of the other 3 sub systems in memory
  • plays a major role in the planning and control of thinking and bahaviour
• what is the phonological loop

  • the inner voice and inner ear
  • the component of the WMM that processes infomation in terms of sound, includes both written and spoken material
  • divided into phonological store (PS - inner ear) and the articulatory process (ACP - inner voice)
  • the phonological store stores the words you hear
  • the articulatory process allows maintenance rehearsal
• what is the visuo-spatial sketchpad

  • inner eye
  • the component of the WMM that processes visual and spatial infomation
  • contributes to our understanding of visual semantics - the meaning of objects in our visual environment
  • can access the LTM
• what is the episodic buffer

  • the component of the WMM that brings together material from other subsystems into a single memory rather than separate strands
  • provides a bridge between working memory and long term memory
• what is the clinical evidence for the WMM

  Shallice and Warrington's (1970) case study
• what did KF suffer from

  amnesia
• what did they find about KF's STM

  found that KF's STM for digits was very poor when the researcher read digits out loud to him but his recall was much better when he was able to read the digits himself
• how does the Shallice and Warrington case study support the working memory model

  KF phonological loop is damaged as he struggles to recall spoken material, however his visuo-spatial sketchpad is intact as he can better recall visual material
• how may Shallice and Warrington's case study not be reliable

  KF is extremely unique and therefore cannot be generalized to others
• what is the experimental evidence for WMM

  Baddeley et al
• what study did Baddeley et al conduct

  studies of dual task performance
• what does the studies of dual task performance support

  the separate existence of the visuo spatial sketchpad
• what did Baddeley et al show in his study

  Baddeley et al showed that ps had more difficulty doing 2 visual tasks such as tracking a light and describing the letter F than doing a visual and verbal task at the same time
• why did ps have difficulty when doing 2 visual tasks compared to doing a visual and a verbal task

  when doing 2 visual task it puts a lot of pressure on the VSS but a visual and verbal task happens between 2 different stores and therefore puts less pressure on them
• what is one strength of the WMM (pet scans)

  P - one strength is that PET scans have shown that different brain areas are activated when doing verbal and visual tasks

  E - Dual task performance research has shown that ps found it harder to do 2 visual task at the same time, than doing a visual and verbal task

  E - for example when doing 2 visual tasks (picturing a letter and tracking a light) both of them compete for the same sub-system (VSS). Whereas there is no competition when a verbal and visual task (tracking a light and speaking the alphabet) are done together

  L - this shows that there must be a separate subsystem for processing visual infomation (VSS) and also a separate system for processing verbal infomation (PL)
• what is one limitation of the WMM (central executive)

  P - one limitation of the WMM is that it lacks clarity over the central executive

  E - cognitive psychologists critique the explanation of the CE stating that it is the most important but the least understood component of WMM

  E - for example it is likely that the CE is more than one compartment and should be explained in more detail, with some psychologist believing it may have separate stores

  L - this suggest the CE has not been explained clearly and it lacks info about how all the sub systems work within it
• what is a limitation of the WMM (STM)

  P - a further limitation of the WMM is that it only explains the STM

  E - the WMM only explains the STM store and how this is not just one single store but made up of 4 separate stores

  E - the WMM does not describe the other memory stores that are also so evidently important such as the LTM

  L - there this is not an overall picture of memory, in comparison the MSM which is able to provide an overall model of memory by focusing on other memories stores as well as the STM