The Working Memory Model

Question 1

What is the central executive?

Answer 1

• Allocates resources dependent on cognitive demands
• Allocates data to the subsystems (VSS and PL)
• Acts as filter, what info will/will not be attended to
• Restricts conscious awareness to 2 (max) items: one from each subsystem only (multi-task but not dual-task)

Question 2

What is the phonological loop?

Answer 2

• Temporary acoustic storage system for auditory/verbal info used to repeat info
• Storage believed to be 2 seconds

Question 3

What is the phonological store?

Answer 3

• Subsystem of phonological loop
• Auditory info in terms of pitch/loudness
• Also called the inner ear

Question 4

What is the articulatory process?

Answer 4

• Subsystem of the phonological loop
• Holds words for sub-vocal repetition to prevent decay
• Also called the inner voice

Question 5

What is the visuo-spatial sketchpad?

Answer 5

• Rehearses visual/spatial info
• Also called the inner eye
• Limited capacity, but limits of the two subsystems (visual cashe and inner scribe) are independent

Question 6

What is the visual cashe?

Answer 6

• Subsystem of VSS
• Stores visual info, e.g form and colour

Question 7

What is the inner scribe?

Answer 7

• Subsystem of VSS
• Stores information about spatial relationships (e.g you can visualise how to get around your house)

Question 8

What is the episodic buffer?

Answer 8

• Binds together info from different sources into chunks/episodes
• Recalls materials from LTM and integrates it into STM when working memory needs it (e.g imagining an elephant ice-skating)

Question 9

Strength of WMM (evaluation)

Answer 9

• Hitch and Baddeley’s 1975 Dual Task Experiments
• Supports the separate existence of the visio-spatial sketchpad
• Pps had more difficulty doing 2 visual tasks (tracking a light and describing the letter F) then doing a visual and a verbal task

Question 10

Strength of WMM (evaluation)

Answer 10

• Paulescu’s 1993 evidence from PET brain scans
• Shown that different areas of the brain are used when undertaking verbal and visual tasks
• Scans can distinguish which areas of the brain used for VSS and PL

Question 11

Weakness of WMM (evaluation)

Answer 11

• Challenging the model, the brain scans do not find any area of the brain common to these tasks
• Shows no evidence of the CE or episodic buffer