The Working Memory Model

• Baddeley and Hitch believed that the STM store in the MSM was too simplistic

  Believed that STM was not a passive store, but several active processes

  information we are currently thinking about
• Central executive: considered most important part of working memory - bc controls attention and coordinates actions of the other components

  can briefly store information but has a very limited capacity

  Is modality free - can store info in any sense or form
• Visuo-spatial sketchpad?


  Stores and manipulates visual information

  input from the eyes/ LTM
• Episodic buffer?


  Fairly recent addition to working memory (Baddeley 2000)

  Purpose is to bind together all info from other components of working memory with info about time and order

  prepares memories for storage in episodic LTM
• Phonological Loop?


  consists of 2 parts:

  1. articulatory control system
  2. phonological store
• Articulatory control system: (inner voice) rehearses info verbally and has a time based capacity of 2 seconds - mentally rehearse
• Phonological store?


  inner ear

  uses sound based code to store

  decays after 2 seconds unless rehearsed by ACS

  directly from ears/ LTM
• Episodic buffer?


  A component of working memory that integrates information from different sources and maintains a temporary representation of the current task.
• Episodic buffer?


  brings together different types of information into a single memory
• Strength: Interference tasks?


  An interference task is testing memory using a task or a series of tasks which uses the same store and a task using different stores

  e.g. reading and speaking

  tracking a pattern and speaking

  This supports the model bc results are worse when using the same store - evidence for different stores for different functions

  Baddeley and Hitch based model on tasks such as this
• Mainly tested in lab studies?


  scientific - controlled variables, extraneous variables, controlled settings - reliable, replicable

  BUT low ecological validity - demand characteristics

  low construct validity - tasks are artificial
• Baddeley?


  memory span for one-syllable words was greater than for polysyllabic words which suggests that the capacity of the phonological loop is limited
• KF?


  Supports WMM bc it shows that there are different stores in the memory (STM) - phonological loop damaged but visuo-spatial sketchpad intact
• Less reductionist than MSM?


  less emphasis on rehearsal

  less simplistic - more stores rather than just a straight 'corridor'

  identifies different types of STM

  shows STM to be more active than MSM
• Baddeley argued that frontal lobe damage could cause impairment to the central executive and described dysexecutive syndrome - supports idea that CE exists
• Little is known about the CE?


  Functions of CE are vague and difficult to test

  hard to measure independently of the rest

  difficult to determine if it has multiple components or not
• Only explains one memory store - not whole picture of memory - reductionist
• Less emphasis on rehearsal - less reductionist - more representative of real life - don't rehearse in real life
• Klauer and Zhao?


  found that visual memory tasks were more disrupted by visual interference and spatial tasks were more disrupted by spatial interference - shows evidence that visual and spatial stores are different - further evidence that it is own store
• Baddeley studied patients with Alzheimer's disease and thus reduced CE functioning, who show a marked reduction in performance when given two simultaneous tasks, compared with normal PPs - counter argue that little known about CE
• Word-length effect?


  Baddeley et al

  describes ability to reproduce a sequence of words is better with short than long words. Suggests that capacity of phonological loop is determined by the temporal duration and that memory span is determined by the rate of rehearsal - random word lists used - reliable

  ev for phonological loop
• Shepard and Feng - words cube 3D shape?


  PPs imagined folding flat shapes to form 3D shapes.

  Found time taken to make decisions was related to no. of folds that were required

  People likely to find it hard to simultaneously do tasks both requiring visuo spatial sketchpad

  ev for VSP