The working memory model

what are the 5 parts of the WMM

• central executive

• episodic buffer

• visuospatial sketchpad

• phonological loop

what parts make up the VSS

• inner scribe

• visual cache

what parts make up the PL

• articulatory control process

• phonological store

central executive

• main component

• it decides what we pay attention to

• very limited storage capacity

• makes decisions and allocates info to the slave systems

phonological loop

• deals with auditory information

• plays vital role in the learning of vocab

• vital for learning a second language

the phonological store

• referred to as the inner ear

• it holds speech based info for 1-2 seconds

articulatory control process

silently repeats words from the PS to stop them from decaying

the visuo spatial sketch pad

• stores and manipulates visual info

• can picture images

visual cache

stores visual info e.g. shape and colour

inner scribe

deals with spatial and movement information

what is the capacity of the PL

2 seconds worth of what you can say (word length effect)

what is the capacity of the VSS

3-4 objects

what is the capacity of the EB

3-4 chunks

strengths of the WMM

• baddeley

• KF

• helps people with ADHD

baddeley procedure

• dual task technique

• condition 1 = 2 visual tasks

• condition 2 = 1 of each

baddeley findings

P’s found it much harder to perform 2 visual tasks at the same time than they did doing one visual and one verbal

KF

• shallice and warrington

• could remember things he saw

• couldnt remember what he heard

• shows the STM is made of multiple stores

KF counter arguement

it is unclear if he had other cognitive issues that may have already affected his performance on memory tasks

how does it help those with ADHD

• allows us to undertsnad how to give instrcutions

• use in the real world

weakness of the WMM

• main component is too vague

how is the CE too vague

eslinger and damasio argue that its probably made of multiple stores if its able to distinguish between visual and acoustic info

case study for CE being too vague

EVR could do tests requiring reasoning but couldnt make everyday decisions