Working Memory Model

• The Working Memory Model Diagram

  
• Who proposed the Working Memory Model?

  Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
• What did they believe?

  - believed that memory is not just one store but a number of different stores.
• What did it replace?

  - it replaced the idea of STM being a unitary store (like the MSM).
• What components does the working memory model consists of?

  - Central Executive

  - Phonological Loop

  - Visuospatial Sketchpad

  - Episodic Buffer
• Functions of the central executive?

  - monitors incoming information in all sensory forms

  
  

  - decides what working memory pays attention to

  
  

  - directs information to the slave systems and collects responses
• Capacity of the central executive?

  - has a limited capacity of about 4 items

  
  

  - deals with only one piece of info at a time
• What is the phonological loop?

  - A slave system that deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which the information arrives.

  
  

  - Temporary storage system for holding auditory information in a speech based form.

  
• Capacity of phonological loop?

  - limited to 2 seconds worth of what you can say
• The phonological loop has 2 parts. What are they?

  1. THE PHONOLOGICAL (AUDITORY) STORE - The inner ear

  
  

  2. THE ARTICULATORY PROCESS - The inner voice
• Function of phonological store?

  - Stores words we have recently heard.
• Function of the articulatory process?

  - Keeps information in the phonological store through repetition.

  
  

  - Allows maintenance rehearsal (repeating sounds or words to keep them in working memory while they are needed).
• What is the Visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS) ?


  - A temporary memory system for holding visual and spatial info

  
  

  - Deals with visual and spatial information - The inner eye

  
  

  - Helps the individual navigate and interact with their physical environment.

  
• Capacity of Visuo-Spatial sketchpad?

  - limited to 3-4 items
• What are the 2 parts of the Visuo-spatial sketchpad?

  - THE VISUAL CACHE

  
  

  - THE INNER SCRIBE
• Function of the visual cache?

  - stores visual data about form & colour.
• Function of the inner scribe?


  - Records the arrangement of objects in the visual field.

  
  

  - Rehearses and transfers information in the visual cache to the central executive.
• What is the episodic buffer?

  - Added by Baddeley later on (2000)

  
  

  - Acts as a 'backup' (temporary) store for information which communicates with both long term memory and the slave system components of working memory.
• Functions of the episodic buffer?

  - Retrieves information from long term memory

  
  

  - Integrates information from Central Executive, Phonological Loop and Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad into short term memory when working memory requires it.
• Strength of the working memory model?

  POINT: Support for the working memory model comes from the case study of patient KF, who was injured in a motorcycle accident.

  
  

  EVIDENCE: Following his accident, KF was able to recall stored information from his long term memory; however, he had issues with his short term memory.

  
  

  EXPLAIN: He was able to remember visual images, including faces, but was unable to remember sounds (acoustic information). This suggests that there are at least 2 components within short term memory, one component for visual information and one component for acoustic information.

  
  

  LINK: Therefore, the research into KF supports the working memory model and the idea of two slave systems, the phonological loop & the visuospatial sketchpad.
• Weakness of the working memory model?

  POINT: A weakness of the working memory model is that it fails to account for musical memory.

  
  

  EVIDENCE: Evidence for this comes from Berz (1995) who demonstrated that participants could listen to instrumental music (music without words) without impairing performance on other acoustic tasks.

  
  

  EXPLAIN: This is problematic because it appears that 2 auditory tasks can be completed at the same time. According to the working memory model we would expect participants to not be able to complete both tasks as they would use the same store.

  
  

  LINK: Therefore, it could be said that memory is more complicated than the working memory model suggests.
• Strength of the working memory model?

  POINT: There is physiological evidence to support the working memory model.

  
  

  EVIDENCE: For example, PET scans have shown that different areas of the brain are used whilst undertaking visual and verbal tasks which may correspond to the visuo-spatial sketchpad and phonological loop of working memory model.

  
  

  EXPLAIN: This is positive as it provides objective and scientific support for the view that visual and verbal material is dealt with by separate structures that may even be physically separate.

  
  

  LINK: Therefore, this increases the credibility of the working memory model as an accurate representation of memory.
• Why does the Working Memory Model help educators understand children with WM difficulties?

  To tailor teaching strategies
• Lieberman argued that the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad (VSS) is overly simplistic
• Blind people's excellent spatial awareness suggests the VSS underestimates non-visual spatial processing.
• What is the main criticism of lab experiments used to study the Working Memory Model?

  Lack of ecological validity
• The Working Memory Model was created by Baddeley and Hitch
• The Working Memory Model proposes that STM is an active system.
• What is the primary function of the Central Executive in the Working Memory Model?

  Controls attention
• The Central Executive has unlimited processing capacity.

  False
• What are the two components of the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad (VSS)?

  Visual cache and inner scribe
• The Episodic Buffer was added to the Working Memory Model in the year 2000
• What is the main purpose of the Episodic Buffer?

  Integrates information
• The Episodic Buffer has unlimited storage capacity.

  False
• What did dual-task studies by Baddeley and Hitch demonstrate about the Working Memory Model?

  Competition for resources
• The Working Memory Model explains why we can hold conversations while driving
• The Working Memory Model explains multitasking limits by highlighting competition for verbal or visual resources.
• The dual task paradigm suggests that sound and vision are processed separately
• The Working Memory Model replaces the Short-Term Memory (STM) store in the Multi-Store Model.
• What is the Phonological Loop also known as?

  Inner ear