What is the Working memory model (WMM)?
The WMM is an explanation of how one aspect of memory (STM) is organised and how it functions.
The model consists of 4 main components, each of which is qualitatively different in terms of coding and capacity.
What is the Central executive?
- This controls the working memory model
- All information passes into the central executive, which then decides which component should process it.
- Directs attention to one of the three slave systems. - It has a very limited capacity and does not store information.
What is the Phonological loop?
- This deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which the information arrives.
-It is further subdivided into the phonological store ( stores the words you hear) and the articulatory process ( allows maintenance rehearsal and has a capacity of around 2 seconds)
What is the Visuo-spatial sketchpad?
- It stores visual and/or spatial information when required
- It also has a limited capacity, which is about 3 or 4 objects
- It is further subdivided into the visual cache (stores visual data) and the inner scribe (records the arrangement of objects in the visual field).
What is the Episodic buffer?
- It is a temporary storage device used to integrate information from the visuo-spatial sketchpad and phonological loop and it records events.
- The capacity is around 4 chunks
(AO3) What is strength of the WMM?
(1)
Clinical evidence:
- Shallice and Warrington (1970) - the case study of KF shows that KF had poor short-term memory, after his brain injury, for auditory information but could process visual information normally.
- This is because his phonological loop was damaged but his visuo-spatial sketchpad was still intact.
- These findings strongly support the existence of separate visual and acoustic memory stores.
(AO3) What is a strength of the WMM?
(2)
Dual-task performance studies:
- Baddeley et al (1975) - had participants carry out a visual and verbal task at the same time. He found that when both tasks were the same, performance declined compared to when one task was visual and the other verbal.
- This is because both visual tasks were competing for the same subsystem, whereas there is no competition when performing a verbal and visual task together.
- This supports the existence of a separate subsystem that processes visual input and another that processes verbal processing.
(AO3) What is a weakness of the WMM?
Lack of clarity over the central executive:
- Cognitive psychologists suggest that this component of the WMM is unsatisfactory and doesn’t explain anything.
- Baddeley (2003) - said ‘ the central executive is the most important but the least understood component of the WMM.
- The central executive needs to be more clearly specified than just being simply ‘attention’, and some psychologists believe it may contain separate components.
- This is a limitation because it means that the WMM hasn’t been fully explained.
