Working Model

• Central Executive is the boss of the working memory model. Controls attention and directs information to the two slave systems. Very limited capacity.
• PHONOLOGICAL LOOP

  • Articulatory Control Process (Inner Voice): sub-vocal repetition, maintenance rehearsal
  • Phonological Store (Inner Ear): stores acoustic items (speech based sounds) for a short period of time
• VISUO-SPATIAL SKETCHPAD:

  • Inner scribe: spatial relationship between objects
  • Visual cache: stores visual information
• The episodic buffer bind and integrates information from all of the other components, and sends information to the long term memory store. Baddeley added this component later as he realised that the model had no general storage facility.
• Baddeley and Hitch (1976) - participants completed two tasks at the same time.

  • Condition 1 completed two acoustic based tasks
  • Condition 2 completed one acoustic and one visual task
• The results of Baddelely and Hitch (1976) found that when both tasks require the participants to use their phonological loop, their ability to perform is impaired.
• Baddelely and Hitch (1976) used a dual task.
• Short term memory in terms of both temporary storage and active processing.
• Supported by Patient KF.
• Only concerned with short term memory and doesn't venture an explanation as to how long term memory works, or how it transfers
• Although the Central Executive is the most important component, there has been little research investigating the component. It isn't clear exactly how the Central Executive works or what it does , as little research has been conducted on it