Working Memory Model

Question 1

The WMM (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974) Overview – what does it suggest, propose, do?

Answer 1

• Suggest that STM is not a single memory store that passively holds information
• It is an active, multi-component memory system that performs a variety of tasks
• Propose that working memory is subsystem of STM that temporarily stores + manipulates a limited amount of info needed to perform cognitive tasks
• Working memory holds all the information needed for cognitive activities such as thinking, planning and analysis

Question 2

What are the parts of the working memory model?

Answer 2

Central executive
Phonological loop
Visuospatial sketchpad
Episodic buffer

Question 3

Identify and describe what the central executive is/does. Include one example of the central executive working

Answer 3

• Monitors, coordinates, and integrates information from the “slave” systems and information retrieved from LTM needed to complete cognitively demanding tasks
• Limited capacity; stores info for approx. 18-20 seconds w/o rehearsal
• E.g., it integrates and controls information from the “slave” systems so that we can decide what to eat from the fridge

Question 4

What are 2 subsystems of the phonological loop?

Answer 4

Phonological store (the “inner ear”)
Articulatory control system (the “inner voice”)

Question 5

Identify and describe what the phonological loop is/does. Include one example of the phonological loop working

Answer 5

• Deals with spoken and written material
• Subdivided into the phonological store (which holds information in a speech-based form) and articulatory control system (which allows us to repeat verbal information in a loop)
• Storage in the phonological loop is limited by pronunciation time, not amount of information
• E.g., if you tried to remember a telephone number by repeating it over and over in the few moments before dialling, this effort would take place in the phonological loop

Question 6

Identify and describe what the visuospatial sketchpad is/does. Include one example of the visuospatial sketchpad working

Answer 6

• Our “inner eye”, briefly stores a limited amount of visual/spatial information received from sensory memory or LTM
• Used for navigation
• E.g., you need spatial thinking when planning your route to a location

Question 7

Identify and describe what the episodic buffer is/does. Include one example of the episodic buffer working

Answer 7

• Acts as an intermediary/”buffer” between the phonological loop, visuospatial pad and LTM so that we can make sense of info entering different parts of WM
• E.g., imagine an elephant playing ice hockey. Bizarre as this image is, we can easily conjure it up by using our existing knowledge (from LTM) about elephants and about ice hockey and integrate/manipulate these to create a novel scenario. The episodic allows us to go beyond what is already in LTM and combine it in different ways when WM requires it

Question 8

What are some strengths?

Answer 8

• Effectively explains our ability to carry out tasks while simltaneously processing it
• Evidence to support phonological loop (dyslexia)
• Suggest STM is an active processor rather than a unitary stop off station presented by multi-store model

Question 9

What are some weaknesses?

Answer 9

• The most important component (central executive) is least understood and noone has been able to quantify is experimentally
• Difficult to falsify