An explanation of how one aspect of memory (short-term memory) is organised and how it functions
WMM
Concerned with the 'mental space' that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information
Components of the WMM
Central executive
Phonological loop
Visuo-spatial sketchpad
Episodic buffer
Central executive (CE)
Has a 'supervisory' role, monitors incoming data, focuses and divides our limited attention and allocates subsystems to tasks
Phonological loop (PL)
Deals with auditory information (coding is acoustic) and preserves the order in which the information arrives
Visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS)
Stores visual and/or spatial information when required
Episodic buffer (EB)
A temporary store for information, integrating the visual, spatial, and verbal information processed by other stores and maintaining a sense of time sequencing
CE has a very limited processing capacity and does not store information
PL is subdivided into the phonological store (which stores the words you hear) and the articulatory process (which allows maintenance rehearsal to keep them in working memory)
PL capacity is to be two seconds' worth of what you can say
VSS is subdivided into the visual cache (which stores visual data) and the inner scribe (which records the arrangement of objects in the visual field)
VSS capacity is about three or four objects
EB links working memory to long-term memory and wider cognitive processes
