Working Memory Model

• The central executive is a unitary store that has a limited capacity. It receives information in multiple modes from the environment, decides which information is attended to and directs data to the appropriate slave systems.
• The phonological loop processes verbal information. It has a capacity of the amount of words that can be said in 2 seconds. It is subdivided into the phonological store (processes and holds spoken words) and the articulatory control process (rehearses words).
• The visuospatial sketchpad processes visual information. It has a capacity of 3-4 objects. It is subdivided into the visual cache (processes information about shape and colour) and the inner scribe (processes information about location and movement).
• The episodic buffer integrates information from the other two slave systems. It maintains a sense of time sequencing so you can recall information in an order.
• Evaluation

  The WMM is not fully explained. Little is known about the central executive - Baddeley himself said it was the least understood component. There is research support. KF, after brain damage had a digit span of one for short term recall of verbal information but he performed better visually. Supports the claim of seperate STM processes.
• Evaluation

  However, research based on case studies cannot be generalised. On the other hand, studies of dual task performance within the 'non clinical' population have also provided support for the WMM. Baddeley instructed pps to track a light whilst completing a visual task or verbal task. Pps had more difficulty tracking the light with the visual task than the verbal task. This supports the idea of separate stores.