working memory model Flashcards
(27 cards)
What is the Working Memory Model (WMM)?
An explanation of how short-term memory is organized and functions.
Who proposed the WMM?
Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
What is the WMM concerned with?
The ‘mental space’ that is active when we are temporarily storing and manipulating information.
Name the four main components of the WMM.
~ central executive
~ phonological loop
~ visuo-spatial sketchpad
~ episodic buffer
What is the role of the central executive?
~ supervisory role
~ monitors incoming data
~ allocates subsystems to tasks.
Does the central executive store information?
No, as it has a very limited processing capacity
What type of information does the phonological loop deal with?
Auditory information (acoustic coding)
What are the two subcomponents of the phonological loop?
Phonological store and articulatory process
What does the phonological store do?
Stores the words you hear.
What does the articulatory process do?
Allows maintenance rehearsal (repeating sounds or words in a ‘loop’).
What is the believed capacity of the phonological loop?
Two seconds’ worth of what you can say.
What type of information does the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS) store?
Visual and/or spatial information.
What are the two subcomponents of the visuo-spatial sketchpad?
Visual cache and inner scribe
What does the visual cache store?
Visual data.
What does the inner scribe do?
Records the arrangement of objects in the visual field.
true or false?:
the episodic buffer was added to WMM much later than all the other components
true
What is the purpose of the episodic buffer?
A temporary store for information and maintains a sense of time sequencing (recording events that are happening)
What is the capacity of the episodic buffer?
About 4 chunks
What does the episodic buffer link?
Working memory to long-term memory and wider cognitive processes.
What was the clinical evidence supporting the WMM?
the study of patient KF
What were KF’s STM abilities after brain injury?
Poor STM ability for auditory information but normal processing of visual information.
What was the condition of KF’s phonological loop and visuo-spatial sketchpad?
Phonological loop was damaged, but visuo-spatial sketchpad was intact.
What does dual-task performance support regarding the visuo-spatial sketchpad?
The separate existence of the visuo-spatial sketchpad.
What happens when performing two visual tasks simultaneously?
Performance on both declines substantially due to competition for the same subsystem (VSS).
