The working memory model

• The Working Memory Model (WMM)

  An explanation for how STM is organised and functions. Concerned with the part of the mind that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating info.

  
• The WMM 2

  Central executive

  An attentional process that monitors incoming data, makes decisions and allocates slave systems to tasks. Processing capacity= very limited
• The WMM 3

  Phonological loop (PL)

  Deals w/ auditory info (i.e. coding is acoustic) and preserves order in which info arrives. Subdivided into:

  • phonological store- stores words you hear
  • articulatory process- allows maintenance rehearsal. Capacity of loop is limited to 2 seconds.
• The WMM 4

  Visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS)

  Stores visual and/or spatial info. Codes visually. Baddeley (2003)- Limited capacity- 3-4 objects.

  Logie (1995) subdivided into:

  • visual cache- stores visual data
  • inner scribe- records arrangement of objects in visual field.
• The WMM 5

  Episodic Buffer

  Added to model by Baddeley in 2000. Temporary store for info, integrating visual, spatial, and verbal info processed by other stores and maintaining a sense of time-sequencing. Storage component of central executive. Limited capacity- 4 chunks (Baddeley 2012). Links working memory to LTM and wider cognitive processes such as perception.
• The WMM- evaluation

  Clinical evidence from Shallice and Warrington's (1970) case study of KF. Had poor STM ability for verbal info but could process visual info. Suggests phonological loop had been damaged leaving other areas of memory intact. Supports existence of separate visual and acoustic store. BUT concerns unique cases so may not be reliable.
• The WMM- evaluation 2

  Studies of dual-task performance support separate existence of visuo-spatial sketchpad. Baddeley et al. (1975)- ppts had more difficulty doing 2 visual tasks than doing a visual and verbal task at the same time. Increased difficulty is because both tasks compete for the same slave system. Means there must be a separate slave system (VSS) that processes visual input.
• The WMM- evaluation 3

  Lack of clarity over central executive. Needs to be more clearly specified than just being 'attention'. Some psychologists believe it may consist of separate components. Means WMM hasn't been fully explained.