Working memory model

Cards (30)

  • Working memory model
    A) Visuo-spatial sketchpad
    B) Central executive
    C) Phonological loop
    D) Phonological store
    E) Articulatory process
    F) Long-term memory
    G) Episodic buffer
  • Who developed the working memory model?
    Baddeley and Hitch
  • What part of memory is the WMM an explanation for?
    Short-term memory
  • What is the WMM concerned with?
    The 'mental space' active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information
  • What are the five main components of the WMM?
    Central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, long-term memory
  • What role does the central executive have?
    A 'supervisory' role
  • Does the central executive store information?
    No
  • What is the processing capacity of the central executive?
    Very limited
  • What does the central executive do?
    Monitors incoming data, focuses and divides our limited attention and allocates subsystems to tasks
  • What two components is the phonological loop split into?
    1 . Phonological store
    2 . Articulatory process
  • What is the phonological store?
    Stores words we hear
  • What is the articulatory store?
    Repeats sounds/words in a loop to keep them in working memory while needed (allows maintenance rehearsal)
  • What is the capacity of the phonological loop believed to be?
    2 seconds worth of what you can say
  • What does the phonological loop do?
    Deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which information arrives
  • What does the visuo-spatial sketchpad do?

    Stores visual and/or spatial information when required
  • What two components is the visuo-spatial sketchpad divided into according to Logie?
    1 . Visual cache
    2. Inner scribe
  • Who split the visuo-spatial sketchpad into two components?
    Logie
  • What is the capacity of the visuo-spatial sketchpad according to Baddeley?
    3 or 4 objects
  • What is the visual cache?
    Stores visual data
  • What is the inner scribe?
    Records the arrangement of objects in the visual field
  • What is the episodic buffer?
    A temporary store for information, integrating the visual, spatial and verbal information processed by stores
  • What does the episodic buffer link working memory to?
    Long-term memory
  • What can the episodic buffer be seen as?
    The storage component of the central executive
  • What is the capacity of the episodic buffer?
    About 4 chunks
  • What does the episodic buffer maintain a sense of?
    Time sequencing - recording episodes that are happening
  • What can the working memory model explain that the multi-store model cannot?
    Dual-task performance
  • Strength: Clinical evidence
    What? Research support
    Who? Shallice and Warrington - KF, poor STM ability for auditory information but normal processing of visual information; Phonological loop damaged but visuo-spatial sketchpad not
    Why? Supports separate visual and acoustic stores
  • Counterpoint: Clinical evidence
    What? Unclear if KF had other cognitive impairments
    Who? Trauma may have affected his cognitive performance
    Why? Challenges evidence - brain injuries may have affected many different systems
  • Strength: Dual-task performance
    What? Studies of dual-task performance support separate existence of visuo-spatial sketchpad
    Who? Baddeley - Visual and verbal task, performance similar VS Both tasks visual, performance declines (Both visual tasks compete for same subsystem)
    Why? Shows separate subsystem for visual and verbal processing
  • Limitation: Nature of central executive
    What? Lack of clarity over nature of CE
    Who? Baddeley - Needs to be more clearly specified than just being 'attention' (May consist of separate subcomponents)
    Why? Challenges integrity of WMM