Cognitive Approach - Cognitive Processing - Models of Memory - Working Memory Model

Question 1

Working Memory Model

Answer 1

• A limited capacity system that temporarily stores and processes information.
• Model proposed by Baddeley & Hitch (1974)
  
  • as an alternative to STM from the MSM
    
    • it isn’t one unit
    • active store (deals with and processes information)

Question 2

Working Memory Model - Central Executive

Answer 2

• The key and master component
  
  • directs the flow of information
  • chooses waht information will be operated
• Functions as an attentional system
• Capacity limited
• Modality free (can process information from any sensory modality)

Question 3

Working Memory Model - Phonological Loop

Answer 3

• A slave system
  
  • Handles verbal and auditory information
  • Capacity limited
• 2 components
  
  • phonoligcal store
    
    • inner ear
    • stores what you hear
  • articulatory control system
    
    • inner voice
    • rehearses words to keep them in our WM whilst needed

Question 4

Working Memory Model - Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad

Answer 4

• A slave system
  
  • used to maintain visual and spatial material by visualising size, shape, colour
• 2 components
  
  • visual cache
    
    • stores visual data (shape & colour)
  • inner scribe
    
    • records the arrangements of objects
    • transfers information to the central executive

Question 5

Working Memory Model - Episodic Buffer

Answer 5

• A slave system
  
  • integrates information from the cnetral executive, the phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad and the long-term memory
• Added in 2000

Question 6

Working Memory Model - Predictions

Answer 6

• If 2 tasks make use of the same component they cannot be performed successfully together
• If they make use of different components, it should be possible to perform them as well together as seperately

Question 7

Working Memory Model - Evaluation - Strenghts

Answer 7

• More detailed explanation of STM
  
  • ≠ MSM of memory
• Supported by research
• Helps us to understand why we are or are not able to multi-task

Question 8

Working Memory Model - Evaluation - Limitations

Answer 8

• Only about STM
• Does not explain memory distortions
• Research mostly lab experiments
  
  • low ecological validity
• The role of the central executive & episodic buffer unclear

Question 9

Baddeley & Hitch (1976)

Answer 9

Hypothesis:
- When pps perform two different tasks that require
resources from the same compoennt of WM they will
need more time compared to when they perform two
tasks that require resources from two different
components

Pps:
- 12 university students

Procedure:
- All participants took part in all different conditions of
this experiment (repeated measures design)
- 32 different verbal reasoning tasks were given to the
pps
- in the format “F follows K:FK”
- the sentence was either
- true or false
- affirmative or negative
- active or passive
- verb “follow” or “proceed”
- All sentences occured in random order and equally
often
- The pps were to press a button if it fir the description
(“yes”) or not (“no”)
- 4 conditions
- pps repeated the word “the” while solving the verbal
reason task
- pps repeated “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6”
- pps repeated a random sequence of numbers
- control condition
- The conditions were given in a random order for each
pps
- The time taken to hit the button was recorded

Results
- Latencies were shortest for the control condition and
longest for the condition with a random sequence of
numbers
- Latencies were shorter for the “the” conditions than the
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6” condition