Working Memory Model

• Proposed by Baddeley and Hitch to account for the limitations of the MSM.
• Central Executive

  Allocates tasks to the memory 'slave' systems.

  Can process any type of information.

  Limited capacity.

  Allows us to swap between tasks and focus on the most demanding.
• Phonological loop

  Deals with auditory information and helps use to preserve the order of information.

  Capacity of 2 seconds.
• Phonological loop: Phonological store


  Codes our perception of sounds.
• Phonological loop: Articulatory loop


  Coding of words seen or heard (sub-vocal repetition).
• Visuospatial Sketchpad: Visual Cache

  Codes information about colour and form.
• Visuospatial Sketchpad: Inner scribe

  The arrangement of spatial information/memory of visual fields.
• Visuospatial Sketchpad

  Capacity of 3-4 objects.
• Episodic Buffer


  Storage component of the CE, added in 2000.

  The 'convenience store': holds and merges together information from LTM, CE, Visual and Audio.

  Helps us work out how things relate.

  Capacity of 4 chunks.