Working Memory Model Flashcards
(15 cards)
who created the WMM
Baddley and Hitch
describe what the WMM looks like
central executive directs actions
points to visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer and phonological loop
visuospatial sketchpad - iconic info
episodic buffer - allows both iconic and echoic info to be bound together
phonological loop - contains phonological store and articulatory control process
all three lead to LTM
what is the central executive
The function of the central executive is to direct attention to particular tasks, determining how the brain’s resources are allocated to tasks. The CE attends and monitors incoming information from the
senses or LTM and this information is then sent to the other slave systems for processing and temporary storage. The CE has very little capacity so it cannot attend to too many things at once, and it has no capacity for storing data.
what is the phonological loop
The phonological loop has a limited capacity and its function is to store speech-based sounds for brief periods. It has two components: phonological store and articulatory control process
what is the phonological store
allows acoustically coded items to be stored for brief periods (someone talking, a melody etc.)
Hence its nickname - The Inner ear.
what is the articulatory control process
allows sub vocal repetitions of items in phonological store. This is similar to maintenance rehearsal.
Hence it’s nickname - the inner voice.
what is the visuospatial sketchpad
The VSS processes and stores mental images in terms of what they look like and their place in the visual field. It is independent from the phonological loop, and has a limited capacity.
It is used when people are planning a spatial task, like moving from one room to the next, reaching for their cup of coffee etc.
Hence it’s nickname – the inner eye.
what is the episodic buffer
Added in 2000, the episodic buffer is a general store that allows both sound and visual information to be bound together.
It integrates information from the other systems and also offers a sense of time sequencing.
It records events (episodes) that are happening and sends information to LTM.
Like all the systems in working memory, it has a limited capacity.
strengths of the WMM
supporting evidence - separate existence of stores
comparison to MSM - shows how memory functions as opposed to simply describing the structure of memory
weakness of WMM
there is a lack of clarity over central executive and the exact role it plays in the model
AO1 WMM
- Working Memory Model (WMM) – a representation of short-term memory (STM). It suggests STM is a dynamic processor of different types of information using subunits co-ordinated by a central-decision making system
- Central executive (CE) – The component of WMM that co-ordinates the activities if the three subsystems in memory. It also allows processing resources to those activities
- Phonological loop (PL) – the component of the WMM that processes information in terms of sound. This includes both written and spoken material. It’s divided into the phonological store and the articulatory process
- Visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSS) – The component of the WMM that processes visual and spatial information in a mental space often called our ‘inner eye’
- Episodic Buffer (EB) – The component of the WMM that brings together material form the other subsystems into a single memory rather than separate strands. It also provides a bridge between working memory and long-term memory
AO3 (1) WMM
- A strength of the working memory model is the clinical evidence support through a case study
- For example, Shallice and Warrington conducted a case study of KF who had suffered brain damage, severely impairing his STM. KF would forget sounds but could recall letters and digits, suggesting his phonological loop had been damaged but the rest of his STM was intact
- This case study is evidence that STM is not a unitary store, as argued by the WWM
- However, it can be argued that its unclear whether KF had other cognitive impairments apart from the damage to his phonological loop that could have affected his performance on memory, specifically trauma from his motorcycle accident that caused his injury, reducing the reliability of KF’s case study
- Despite this, the findings strongly support the existence of a separate visual and acoustic memory stores
- Thus increasing the validity of the working memory model
AO3 (2) WMM
- Another strength of the WMM is the research support
- For example, Baddley et al were able to highlight the different slave systems of the WMM utilising dual task performance. He found that when participants carried out a visual and verbal task at the same time (dual task), their performance on each was similar to when they carried out the tasks separately.
- This is a strength as it shows that we are able to process auditory and visual information at the same time as they go into different slave systems as highlighted by the working memory model
- However, we cannot process two visual tasks at the same time or two verbal tasks at the same time as both visual or both verbal tasks are competing for the same slave system, therefore reducing the usefulness of the WMM when doing two of the same type of tasks.
- Despite that, this shows that there must be a separate slave system that processes visual input and one for verbal processing
- Thus increasing the validity of the working memory model
AO3 (3) WMM
- A weakness of the working memory model is the lack of detail surrounding the central executive
- For example, Baddley has been criticised for his lack of explanation into the role of this component, arguing that it lacks detail and its not well understood from the account of the model
- This is a weakness of the WMM as it highlights how further research is needed into this component to increase our knowledge of STM
- However, the fact that this was developed later on suggests that there must be value to it because its been added on, because the central executive has a limited capacity and its modality free, you can’t test capacity
- Despite this, due to the lack of clarity behind the CE, it challenges the integrity of the WMM, therefore reducing its credibility.
- Thus decreasing the validity of the working memory model
explain the ao3s for WMM
