The Working Memory Model + Evaluation Flashcards
Who proposed the WMM (1974)?
Baddeley and Hitch
What is the WMM and how does it differ from the MSM?
It was proposed as an extended model for how short-term memory works, focusing on STM not LTM.
Rather than having a SR before info goes into LTM, the WMM sees STM as an active store, holding multiple pieces of info at a time that are ‘worked’ on by the individual.
What are the 5 Parts to the Working Memory Model?
Central Executive
Phonological Loop
Episodic Buffer
Visuo - Spatial Sketchpad
Long Term Storage Memory
Why was the Episodic Buffer added in 2000 by Baddeley?
The CE has limited capacity and at the time research suggested info had to be stored elsewhere, so EB addresses the shortcomings of the model.
Summarise the Central Executive (CE) part to the WMM. (4 points, brief, SR comment, Storage )
- Oversees/coordinates cognitive processes and makes decisions for what should happen + when in WMM.
- Determines what info from SR is paid attention to, processes this info and task-switches between the different stores.
- Capacity is limited, so can only handle one type of info at a time.
- Allows individuals to switch attention between tasks, ‘multitasking’
What did Cowan (2008) conclude the Central Executive primarily does?
The collection of attention-controlling processes that control the other systems in WMM, taking info from and to other stores.
Summarise the Phonological Loop (PL) part to the WMM. ( 2 things )
- Subsystem handling auditory info, processes sound, words you hear + the order of this.
- Capacity = amount of info able to be spoken in about 2 seconds.
What are the 2 parts to the Phonological Loop in the WMM and what are their roles?
Phonological Store (PS) - ‘the inner ear’, stores words recently heard.
Articulatory Process (AP) - ‘the inner voice’ , keeps info in PL through sub-vocal repetition of info + linked to speech production.
Summarise the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpard (USS) of the WMM. What are the two parts to it? (Hint: Types of info)
- The ‘inner ear’, another slave system that handles visual, spatial and location of objects/relationships to each other information, instead of auditory information in PL.
- Visual Cache (VC) - handles info like shape + colour
- Inner Scribe (IS) - handles spatial relationships, transfers this info back to CE.
Summarise the Episodic Buffer part to the WMM. (Why was it added?, capacities, definition)
- Added in 2000 by Baddeley, as original model lacked the ‘general store’ for the info it would require to properly operate.
- PL + VSS have limited capacities, with CE having none, so model needed a way to explain how info from VSS, PL, CE and LTM could be temporarily combined to be worked on at the same time.
- So, this part is the temporarily, combined store of info from the other parts of the WMM.
What is the Amnesiac case study that involves ‘KF’ and what did Shallice + Warrington (1974) show
A single STM was unable to explain KF who experienced STM impairment after a motorbike incident.
The researchers showed that although his memory for verbal material was poor, his memory for visual info was unaffected.
WMM can explain there is damage to the articulatory loop with the sketch pad remaining intact.
Following on from ‘KF’ who did Trojani + Grossi (1995) report on and what was significant about this person?
They reported on ‘SC’ who had brain damage affecting his PL but not his VSS, suggesting they’re separate visual stores.
What did Hitch and Baddeley show in their lab experiment focusing on Dual Task Performance?
They showed performance is slower when ppts are given tasks that use the same WM component. If tasks use different components e.g CE + PL, then performance isn’t affected.
What were the two examples of Dual Tasks that Baddeley and Mitch use in their lab experiment?
- following a dot of light and giving directions (both visual and spatial)
- describing outline of the letter ‘F’ and deciding which letter comes alphabetically first ( visual, spatial and CE)
What did Baddeley (1996) find that supports the idea that the CE has limited capacity and can only handle one type of info at a time?
He found that PPTs found it difficult to generate lists of random numbers while simultaneously switching between pressing numbers and letters on a keyboard.
What did Baddeley et al. find in regards to Word Length Effect and when would this effect disappear?
In their lab experiment, they showed that the phonological loop can hold what you can say in 2 seconds. You can remember shorter words more than longer ones.
Effect disappears if ppt is given an articulatory suppression (e.g saying ‘the,the,the’)
What did Burge et al. Find that shows the increased attention required by the CE?
Used fMRI scans to show that certain areas of the brain were more active when ppts were given a dual-task activity compared to a single task.
What did Klauer and Zhao (2004) report on that supports there being a separate visual cache and inner scribe in the VSS?
Reported on there being more interference between 2 visual tasks than there is between a visual and a motor task.
What is the main strength to the WMM?
It expands on the MSM be explaining STM better, as it can distinguish between the different stores and processes, and can better explain things the MSM cannot I.e word-length count and case study of KF / SC
What is the first limitation to the WMM in regards to CE and who did Eslinger + Damasio study and what was the suggestion from this?
The CE is vaguely defined in WMM, some researchers believe it may have components in it, that aren’t explained in WMM.
Eslinger + Damasio (1985) studied EVR, a cerebral tumour patient. He performed well on reasoning tests but had poor decision making skills.
Since both tasks involve CE, and one could be done but not the other, it suggests CE isn’t just one component.
What is the second limitation of the WMM that researchers believe in regards to the CE?
Some believe CE is just a process of allocating attention and that it isn’t any more complex than that.
If it is so simple, it should have a cerebral location like USS + PL but it is involved in many frontal regions.
The WMM therefore doesn’t provide enough detail of the complexity of the CE.
What is the third limitation of the WMM, that ragers case study data? (Reason, 2 possibilities, example, what does this mean?)
For evidence from brain-damage patient cases, e.g KF, there is difficult in making before/ after comparisons.
An injury may cause behavioural change in more areas than being studied.
There may be other difficulties unaccounted for, e.g struggling to pay attention possibly causes someone to underperform on tasks.
Means that we must be careful when generalising patients with brain damage to those with healthy ones.
