working memory

• What is the working memory model?

  A system in the STM that maintains and stores information which underlines all thinking.

  Has limited capacity bridging between perception, LTM and action

  States that you can't do 2 tasks simultaneously that involve the same thing
• Dual task paradigm


  a paradigm requiring participants to perform two tasks simultaneously. it is used to study the limits of attention
• Trace decay theory of forgetting


  if a person does not access and use a memory, the memory trace will weaken or decay over time and will be less available for later retrieval
• Trace decay theory of forgetting - engram

  Memories are stored in the brain, structural change must occur.

  As the engram decays, the memory disappears
• Articulatory loop (inner voice)


  stores material in verbal form and allows for verbal rehearsal
• Articulatory rehearsal loop

  revives memory traced by rehearsing them
• Primary acoustic store (inner ear)


  Accepts material directly, enters through an auditory form
• Visuo spatial sketchpad (inner eye)


  Stores and processes information in a visual or spatial form.

  Holds visual memories

  Limited in capacity to 3-4 objects
• Central executive


  puts information from different sources into one episode

  moves between tasks

  operates retrieval strategies and controls selective attention

  Pick what's attended to

  Limited in capacity
• Phonological loop


  the part of working memory that holds and processes verbal and auditory information

  phonological store holds memory traces which decays rapidly after few seconds
• Episodic buffer


  information in working memory interacts with information in long term memory (eg. relating information you are processing to a previous memory).

  Limited in capacity
• Evidence for phonological loop


  Lists of words that sound similar are harder to remember than list of words that sound different .

  When participants are asked to learn a list of words and at the same time say them aloud, they will find it difficult as the phonological loop is already in use.
• Evidence for visuospatial sketchpad

  When 2 spatial tasks are being carried out, its more difficult then undertaking just one task
• Evidence for episodic buffer

  patients with amnesia, who couldn't lay down new memories in LTM store could recall stories in STM that contained lots of information. Which was more than could be retained in phonological loop
• Strengths of Working memory model


  Model is more complex and detailed. Explains specifically were each memory is stored (visual, sounds etc). Amount of research its generated and is still generating
• Weaknesses of working memory model


  Model has been added to as new findings have been made - episodic buffer was added after meaning model was inadequate.

  Experiments tend to be artifical tasks such as learning lists of words and remembering stories