6- Working Memory

Question 1

How did Klatzky define working memory?

Answer 1

As the workbench of human cognition

Question 2

What is working memory? (Cowan, 1998)?

Answer 2

Collection of mental processes that permit information to be held temporarily in an accessible state in service of some other mental task

Question 3

Why does the brain rely on working memory?

Answer 3

Almost every cognitive process happening in the brain relies on working memory

Question 4

What did James say that working memory is?

Answer 4

The focus of attention

Question 5

What did Miller say that working memory is?

Answer 5

Temporary activated information about our current goals and plans

Question 6

What did Baddeley and Hitch say that working memory is?

Answer 6

A sensory-specific multi-component for short-term storage and processing

Question 7

What are we doing whenever we attend to a part of memory?

Answer 7

Activating working memory

Question 8

How did Cowan see working memory in his embedded process model?

Answer 8

Capacity-limited focus of attention and a temporarily activated subset of LTM

Question 9

What are the 3 components of working memory in Cowan’s embedded process model?

Answer 9

Time-limited active memory, capacity-limited focus of attention, LTM

Question 10

Why is time-limited active memory an important component?

Answer 10

Temporarily activated information- not yet accessible to conscious awareness

Question 11

Why is capacity-limited focus of attention an important component?

Answer 11

Memory within the focus of attention

Question 12

Why is LTM an important component?

Answer 12

Information stored in LTM that is inactive but could be retrieved

Question 13

How does Baddeley view working memory in his multi-component model?

Answer 13

Brain system for temporary storage and manipulation of information necessary for complex processes

Question 14

What does Baddeley say that working memory is more than?

Answer 14

More than a store for maintaining information in consciousness

Question 15

How does Baddeley view the capacity of working memory?

Answer 15

Limited

Question 16

What are the 4 aspects of Baddeley’s multi-component model of working memory?

Answer 16

Central executive, visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, phonological loop

Question 17

What is the role of the phonological loop?

Answer 17

Holds and manipulates auditory-verbal information

Question 18

What are the 2 parts of the phonological loop?

Answer 18

The phonological store and articulatory control

Question 19

How long does the phonological store hold information for?

Answer 19

2-3 seconds

Question 20

What does the articulatory control use to maintain information?

Answer 20

Subvocal rehearsal

Question 21

How does the articulatory control convert visual information?

Answer 21

To speech-based form

Question 22

What stimuli have direct access to the phonological loop?

Answer 22

Auditory stimuli

Question 23

How do visually presented stimuli access the phonological loop?

Answer 23

Indirectly via subvocal articulation

Question 24

How is the phonological loop limited?

Answer 24

Temporal and capacity limited

Question 25

What are the 4 ways that create evidence for the phonological loop?

Answer 25

Word lengths, articulatory suppression, irrelevant speech, phonological similarity

Question 26

What is the role of the visuospatial sketchpad?

Answer 26

To hold and manipulate visuospatial information

Question 27

How limited is the visuospatial sketchpad capacity?

Answer 27

Of 3-4 items

Question 28

What are the 2 components of the visuospatial sketchpad?

Answer 28

Visual cache and inner scribe

Question 29

What is the role of the visual cache?

Answer 29

Stores visual information

Question 30

What is the role of the inner scribe?

Answer 30

Allows spatial processing

Question 31

What is the role of the central executive?

Answer 31

Mastermind of human cognition and modality-free attentional control

Question 32

How is the central executive a supervisory system? (3 ways)

Answer 32

Controls and regulates WM functions Coordinates activity of other components Focuses and switches attention

Question 33

What 2 types of cognitive control did Norman and Shallice find?

Answer 33

Automatic and controlled

Question 34

What use automatic cognitive control?

Answer 34

Routine and well-practiced behaviours

Question 35

What use controlled cognitive control?

Answer 35

Non-habitual and novel tasks

Question 36

What is a capture error?

Answer 36

A failure to override a routine set of behaviours

Question 37

What is dysexecutive syndrome?

Answer 37

Deficits in executive function

Question 38

What is perseveration?

Answer 38

Inappropriate repetition of an action while aware you are making errors

Question 39

What is utilisation behaviour?

Answer 39

Dysfunctional automatic using of objects and tools

Question 40

What is the role of the episodic buffer?

Answer 40

Temporary multi-modal storage for central executive

Question 41

How does the episodic buffer integrate information?

Answer 41

From the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad and LTM

Question 42

How does the episodic buffer work?

Answer 42

As a global workspace accessed by conscious awareness

Question 43

How much information can the episodic buffer hold?

Answer 43

4 chunks

Question 44

How is the episodic buffer controlled?

Answer 44

By the central executive

Question 45

What does the episodic buffer allow?

Answer 45

Information integration between PL and VSSP

Question 46

How is there an interaction in the episodic buffer?

Answer 46

Between PL/VSSP and episodic LTM

Question 47

Why is the episodic buffer episodic?

Answer 47

Because information is integrated across space