The working memory model Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is the WMM
representation of how short-term memory is organised and how it functions
Who proposed the WMM
Baddeley and Hitch in 1974
What does the WMM consist of
4 main components that are qualitatively different in terms of capacity and coding
What is the central executive
Receives information from the visuo-spatial sketchpad, phonological loop and perception and combine it until decisions and reasoning is made.
Capacity of central executive
Limited
Coding of the central executive
Modality free
What is the episodic buffer
Temporary store for info from central executive and maintain a sense of time frequency.
Capacity of episodic buffer
2 seconds worth
Coding of episodic buffer
Modality free
What is the phonological loop
Hold and rehearse words currently being considered (by talking to yourself)
Capacity of the phonological loop
Limited, about 4 chunks
Coding of phonological loop
Acoustic
What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad
Holds static images and manipulates them.
What and how we see.
What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad divided into
A visual cache and an inner scribe (inner eye)
Capacity of visuo-spatial sketchpad
3-4 Chncks
Coding of the visuo-spatial sketchpad
Visual
WMM research support from brain scans
Braver found greater activity in pre-frontal cortex when ppts did a task involving the central executive.
Shows different areas are physically different
WMM research support from dual task studies
Baddeley found ppts had difficulty doing two visual tasks than a visual and verbal at the same time.
Supports the existence of different slave systems.
Unsatisfactory central executive
It is vague and untestable, it needs to be clearly specified than just being ‘attention’.
Incomplete explanation.
Study of KF supporting WMM
STM for digits was poor when read out but good when read himself, suggesting phonological loop was damaged but not visuo-spatial sketchpad.
