The working memory model

Question 1

Who created the WWM?

Answer 1

Baddely and Hitch in 1974

Question 2

What is the working memory model?

Answer 2

It is an explanation of how the STM is organised and how it functions

Question 3

Draw a picture of the WWM (names on flashcard, look at notes for diagram)

Answer 3

• episodic buffer
• central executive
• phonological loop containing the phonological store and articulatory process
• LTM
• visuo - spatial sketchpad

Question 4

What is the central executive?

Answer 4

• the supervisor of each subsystem
• monitors incoming data, it focuses and divides attention and allocates subsytems tasks
• limited processing capacity and does not store information

Question 5

What is the phonological loop

Answer 5

• it deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which the information arrives
• divided into:
  Phonological store - stores words you hear
  Articulatory process - allows maintenance rehearsal

Question 6

What is the visuo - spatial sketchpad?

Answer 6

• it stores visual and spatial information and allows you to visualise places
• Logie divided this into the visual cache (visual data) and the inner scribe (the arrangement of objects)
• limited capacity of 3 or 4 objects

Question 7

What is the episodic buffer?

Answer 7

• it is a temporary store for verbal and visual information
• it timestamps memories and is used as a storage unit
• links working memory to LTM

Question 8

What are two strengths of the WMM?

Answer 8

1. Clinical evidence = there is support from Shalice and Warringtons research on KF. He could process visual info but not auditory information, showing that his phonological loop was damaged but his visuo - sketchpad was intact. This supports the idea of seperate visual and acoustic memory stores. However, it is unclear if he suffered from other cognitive impairments as he was injured in a motorcycle incident.
2. Dual-task performance = Baddely found when making participants carry out a verbal and visual task at the same time, their performance on both was very similar. However, when tasked with two visual tasks they performed significantly worse as they both competed for the same sub-sytems, the VSS. This shows there are different subsystems for auditory and visual memory.

Question 9

Describe a limitation for the WMM

Answer 9

• there is lack of clarity of the nature of the central executive. Baddely himself recognised that it was the most important but least understood component, showing the challenge to the integrity of the WMM