Memory - Working Memory Model

Question 1

Central executive (CE)

Answer 1

Baddeley and Hitch refer to it as the ‘company boss’ as it controls and coordinates when the other systems should be used
E.G. turning music off to focus on difficult parking spot
limited capacity
continuous function

Question 2

Visuospatial sketch pad

Answer 2

contains :
visual cache and inner scribe

holds 3-4 objects
visual/spatial coded
short duration (unless rehearsed)

Logie (1989) participants played a video game whilst doing 1 of 2 activities
-visuospatial task
- verbal task
for the 1st task they struggled with visuospatial elements of the game
and verbal elements for the 2nd task
SUGGESTS visuospatial is separate from verbal memory (PL)

Question 3

visual cache

Answer 3

deals with info based on what things look like E.G. colour + depth

Question 4

inner scribe

Answer 4

deals with spatial info

Question 5

phonological loop

Answer 5

has 2 areas:
phonological store
articulatory loop

capacity is limited (2s of speech) but AL depends on how long it takes to say something not how many words
acoustically coded
lasts for 1.5-2s (unless rehearsed)

Paulesu et al (1993) aimed to find biological evidence for the PL using PET scans
AL task - silently rehearsing sounds
Ps task - remembering letters and how they sound (visually presented)
broca’s area was active during AL task
the left supramarginal gyrus during PS

Question 6

phonological store (inner ear)

Answer 6

an auditory rehearsal system that receives information on sound in the environment but also from our own internal speech (AL)

Question 7

articulatory loop (inner voice)

Answer 7

a verbal rehearsal system to prepare speech and to think in words

Question 8

episodic buffer

Answer 8

acts as a ‘miscellaneous’ drawer
communicates with both LTM and STM

Question 9

strengths of WMM

Answer 9

Shalice + Warrington studied KF - increase validity
Baddeley et al (1975) found that when verbal + written tasks were performed together, performance was equal. but for written x2 or verbal x2 tasks, performance decreased - increase validity
Prabhakern et al (2000) used FMRIs while Ps did verbal + spatial tasks. 1 had tasks separate, the other not. together= prefrontal cortex, separate=posterior areas -increase validity
MOSTLY RESEARCH IN LABS - INCREASES VALIDITY

Question 10

limitations of WMM

Answer 10

KF’s accident may have caused cognitive impairments that affect memory - each brain injury is unique
Baddeley (2003) states that CE is most important part but we know nothing about it. this affect integrity of WMM - decrease validity
low mundane realism of tasks - decrease validity
we can only make inference on WMM - lacks scientific credibility