the working memory model

Question 1

what is the wmm

Answer 1

and explanation for memory that is used when working on a task. Each store is different.

Question 2

who came up with the WMM and why?

Answer 2

Baddeley and Hitch.

They thought that STM was not just one store but multiple.

They thought this because If you do dual task performance and they are both visual tasks, you perform them less well than if you do them separately.

Question 3

describe the central executive

Answer 3

• directs attention to particular tasks, determining how the brains resources are allocated to tasks.
• the resources are the three slave systems
• data arrives from the senses or LTM
• very limited capacity

Question 4

describe the phonological loop

Answer 4

limited capacity

deals with auditory information and preserves the order of information

Holds info in a speech based form

Question 5

Baddeley divided the phonological loop into the phonological store and an articulated process. Explain these two parts.

Answer 5

phonological store= holds the words you hear, like an inner ear.

an articulatory process= is used for words that are heard or seen. These words are silently repeated (looped), like and inner voice. This is a form of maintenance rehearsal.

Question 6

describe the Visuo-spatial sketchpad

Answer 6

used when you have to plan a spatial task (like getting from one room to another)

visual and spatial information is temporarily held here.

visual information is what things look like. Spatial is the physical relationship between things.

Question 7

Logie suggested that the visual-spatial sketchpad can be divided into a visual cache and an inner scribe. Explain these two elements.

Answer 7

a visual cache= stores information about visual items. E.g. form and colour.

an inner scribe= stores the arrangement of objects in the visual field.

Question 8

describe the episodic buffer

Answer 8

it was later added by Baddeley because the model needed a general store.

it is an extra storage system that has limited capacity

integrates information from the CE, PL, and the VSS.

it sends information to LTM

it records events that are happening

Question 9

explain the strength of dual task performance and a counter argument

Answer 9

• Hitch and Baddeley support the existence of the central executive
• the participants were slower when doing dual tasks which involved both the central executive and the articulatory loop.
• this demonstrates the dual task performance deck and shows that the central executive is one of the components of working memory
• however, lab experiment. Lacks mundane realism and ecological validity

Question 10

explain the strength of evidence from brain damaged patient

Answer 10

• LH who had been involved in a road accident, performed better on spatial take than those involving visual imagery.
• suggest separate visual and spatial systems

Question 11

explain the weakness of the central executive

Answer 11

• what exactly is it?
• the answer seems to be that it allocates resources but some psychologists feel this is too vague and doesn’t really explain anything
• critics also feel that the notion of a single central executive is wrong and there is probably server all components

Question 12

explain the weakness of evidence from brain damaged patient

Answer 12

-isn’t reliable as the process of brain injury is traumatic, which may in itself ch age behaviour so that a person performs worse on certain tasks

Question 13

Strength of case study from KF

Answer 13

• brain damaged patient who had damaged STM
• his problem was with immediate recall of words presented verbally, but not with visual info.
• this suggest he had an impaired articulately loop but a working visuo spatial sketch pad
• provides evidence of different STM in the working memory model