Working Memory Model

Question 1

Who proposed the Working Memory Model?

Answer 1

Baddeley and Hitch

Question 2

Which store of memory does the WMM focus on?

Answer 2

STM

Question 3

What can the STM be described as?

Answer 3

Complex, active ‘waiting stage’.

Question 4

What are the four components of the WMM?

Answer 4

Central executive, episodic buffer, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad.

Question 5

Central Executive

Answer 5

Oversees and prioritises any jobs to be done, directing the most attention to the most important tasks. Coordinates the actions of the other memory components. Provides a link with the LTM.

Question 6

Slave System

Answer 6

Other memory components that are controlled by the central executive.

Question 7

Phonological Loop

Answer 7

Auditory store for rehearsing sound based information.

Question 8

Phonological Loop Duration

Answer 8

1-2 seconds.

Question 9

What are the two parts of the phonological loop?

Answer 9

Phonological store, articulatory process/loop.

Question 10

Phonological Store

Answer 10

The ‘inner ear’ that perceives sounds - particularly speech.

Question 11

Articulatory Process/Loop

Answer 11

The ‘inner voice’ involved in speech production. Verbal rehearsal system, holding material until it is spoken.

Question 12

Visuospatial Sketchpad

Answer 12

The ‘inner eye’ that holds visual and spatial information.

Question 13

Visuospatial Sketchpad Capacity

Answer 13

3-4 objects.

Question 14

What are the two parts of the visuospatial sketchpad?

Answer 14

Visual cache, inner scribe.

Question 15

Visual Cache

Answer 15

Stores visual information images.

Question 16

Inner Scribe

Answer 16

Records the arrangement of objects in the visual field.

Question 17

Episodic Buffer

Answer 17

A temporary store for information integrating the visual, spatial, and verbal information processed by the other slave systems. Links the WMM to the LTM and other wider processes. Maintains a time sequence, it is the storage component of the central executive.

Question 18

Episodic Buffer Capacity

Answer 18

4 chunks of information.

Question 19

Baddeley and Hitch (1976) - Aim

Answer 19

To investigate if components of the WMM can be used simultaneously.

Question 20

Baddeley and Hitch (1976) - Procedure

Answer 20

Participants were asked to perform two tasks at once - one involved verbal reasoning, one simply repeating digits/a word.

Question 21

Baddeley and Hitch (1976) - Findings

Answer 21

Repeating digits was harder for the participants as both tasks involved the central executive.

Question 22

Baddeley and Hitch (1976) - Conclusion

Answer 22

The WMM has a limited capacity and performance suffers when two tasks require the same component.

Question 23

Patient KF (1970)

Answer 23

A case study into a brain damage sufferer.

Question 24

Patient KF (1970) - Findings

Answer 24

He could process visual information, and meaningful acoustic information, and his LTM was not impaired. He struggled to process acoustic information in the form of letters and numbers, and his STM was severely damaged.

Question 25

Patient KF (1970) - Conclusion

Answer 25

Showed his brain damage was restricted to his phonological loop, supporting the WMM.

Question 26

Bunge et al. (2000) - Aim

Answer 26

To see which parts of the brain were most active when participants were performing a single task, or multiple tasks at once.

Question 27

Bunge et al. (2000) - Procedure

Answer 27

Used an MRI scanner to examine brain activity.

Question 28

Bunge et al. (2000) - Findings

Answer 28

There was significantly more brain activity when two tasks were being performed at once.

Question 29

Bunge et al. (2000) - Conclusion

Answer 29

There is an increased demand for attention when performing two tasks simultaneously. This supports the WMM, specifically the idea that there are four different components. Identified that the central executive can be found in the pre-frontal cortex.

Question 30

Baddeley et al. (1975) - Aim

Answer 30

To provide evidence for the existence of the phonological loop.

Question 31

Baddeley et al. (1975) - Procedure

Answer 31

Participants were told to remember words, some were single syllabic, other multi-syllabic. They were then asked to remember words when given an interference task to prevent rehearsal - counting backwards in threes.

Question 32

Baddeley et al. (1975) - Findings

Answer 32

Participants were more competent at recalling single syllable words. However, when interference tasks were used, there was little difference in the effect that word length caused.

Question 33

Baddeley et al. (1975) - Conclusion

Answer 33

The word length effect does occur, but not when interference tasks are used. This provides strong evidence for the phonological loop, as participants could not use the component to remember the words, just the interference task.

Question 34

Strengths of the WMM

Answer 34

• Baddeley + Hitch (1976), supporting evidence of multiple components, and limited capacity.
• Bunge et al., evidence for multiple components, and location of central executive.
• Baddeley (1975), supports the existence of the phonological loop.
• Patient KF (1970), shows there are separate stores.

Question 35

Limitations of the WMM

Answer 35

• Limited testability, as case studies are not always reliable, and generalisable.
• Opposing theorists say that the central executive may have subsystems, so its role is not fully explained.
• Testability issues in that a lot of research lacks mundane realism.
• Views the LTM as a passive store.