the working memory model

Question 1

what is the WMM?

Answer 1

• explanation of how STM is organised and how it functions
• mental space that is active when we store and manipulate info
• has 4 components, each different in terms of coding and capacity

Question 2

what is the central executive?

Answer 2

• supervisory role, monitors incoming data
• focuses and divides attention, allocates slave systems to tasks
• very limited capacity, doesn’t store info

Question 3

slave systems - the phonological loop

Answer 3

• deals with auditory info (acoustic)
• preserves order in which info arrives
• phonological store stores the words you hear, articulatory process allows maintenance rehearsal
• capacity is believed to be 2 seconds worth of what you can say

Question 4

slave systems - the visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 4

• stores visual and spatial info when required (visualising things)
• limited capacity, about 3/4 objects
• Logie divided VSS into visual cache and the inner scribe (arrangement of objects in the visual field)

Question 5

slave systems - the episodic buffer

Answer 5

• temporary store for info, integrates visual, spatial and verbal
• maintains a sense of time sequencing
• limited capacity, about 4 chunks
• links working memory to LTM and wider cognitive processes such as perception

Question 6

clinical evidence for the WMM

Answer 6

• support from study on patient KF
• had poor STM ability for auditory info but could still process visual info
• phonological loop was damaged, visuo-spatial sketchpad was intact
• supports existence of separate memory stores
• however, is unclear whether he had other impairments which could’ve affected memory, such as trauma

Question 7

dual task performance (evidence from Baddely)

Answer 7

• when pps carried out a visual and verbal task at the same time, performance was similar to when done separately
• when both tasks where visual or verbal, performance declined
• both tasks compete for same subsystem, must be a separate subsystem for visual input and one for verbal processing

Question 8

nature of the central executive (negative)

Answer 8

• lack of clarity over nature of CE
• needs to be clearly specified, therefore is an unsatisfactory component, challenges integrity of WMM