2.1.1 - the working memory model (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974) Flashcards
what is the working memory model?
a theory which replaces the STM part of the multistore model
what is working memory?
a cognitive system which explains how we store and process the information we are using in the present moment
how does working memory differ from STM?
it is an active processor of information
what are the three parts of working memory?
Central Executive, Visuo-spatial Sketchpad, Phonological Loop
what is the role of the Central Executive?
it controls and coordinates working memory by deciding which information will be processed, and doing difficult mental work like problem-solving
it tells the PL and VSS what to do, and can boost their capacity (although it has limited capacity so if it tries to process and store too much information at once, overload will occur)
how does the CE differ from the PL and VSS?
it is modality free, so it can process information in any form
what is the role of the Visuo-spatial Sketchpad?
it stores information about vision (what things look like) and location (where they are)
we use it when making sense of the world and working stuff out in our head (visualising)
what is the role of the Phonological Loop?
it stores information about sound and speech
it is used when talking to yourself or others (rehearsing)
what are the two components of the phonological loop?
the phonological store and articulatory rehearsal system
how are the phonological store and articulatory rehearsal system related?
the phonological store could only hold a limited amount of verbal information for a few seconds, but this could be extended if information was subvocalised or refreshed with the articulatory rehearsal system
what does the phonological store explain?
the phonological similarity effect (harder to remember similar sounding words and letters than dissimilar sounding ones)
this doesn’t occur with words that have semantic similarity, so the phonological store must use acoustic encoding (Baddeley, 1966a)
what does the articulatory rehearsal system explain?
the word length effect (short monosyllabic words are recalled more successfully than longer polysyllabic words)
longer words fill up the limited capacity of the articulatory rehearsal system so words earlier in the list decay)
why can working memory be used for multi-tasking?
because the three components each have their own processing resources
what conditions are required for working memory to be used for multi-tasking?
the tasks must use different components
the capacity of the WM must not be exceeded
what is processing conflict?
a problem which occurs when two or more mental tasks compete for the same element of WM, so its capacity is exceeded (causes errors and forgetting from WM)
