The WMM is an explanation of how short-term memory is organized and how it functions.
The WMM suggests that STM is an active processor of different types of information using sub systems (slave systems), which are coordinated by a central decision making system.
The WMM is made up of four components
central executive
phonologicalloop
visuo-spatial sketchpad
episodic buffer
The central executive supervises and has overall control. It monitors incoming data and allocates tasks to the slave systems.
The CE has limited capacity, however encoding is flexible as it can process information from any sensory system, like vision, hearing, touch, taste or smell.
The phonological loop processes auditory information and deals with verbal information. It keeps the order at which the info arrived.
Encoding in the phonological loop is acoustic, capacity is about two seconds worth of what you can say.
The PL is sub-divided into two stores
the phonological store - stores the words that you hear
the articulatory control system - allows maintenance rehearsal, repeating sounds to keep them in the working memory while they're needed.
the visuo-spatial sketchpad processes visual and spatial information, encoding is visual and spatial. Provides a bridge from working memory to long-term memory.
the VSS has a capacity of three to four objects.
The VSS is divided into two stores
the visual cache - stores a limited amount of visual data briefly
the inner scribe - records the arrangement of objects in the visual field.
The episodic buffer is a temporary store of information.
The EB integrates visual, spatial and verbal information from other stores. It also provides a bridge between the working memory and the long-term memory.
The EB maintains a sense of time sequencing, recording events (episodes) that are happening.
The EB links to the long-term memory for information. Encoding is flexible and it has a capacity of about four chunks.