WMM[

A01

Draw the model

PET brain scans

• The Working Memory Model is supported by studies involving brain scans

• PET scans have shown that different areas of the brain are used when undertaking verbal and visual tasks (e.g. counting to 20 out loud or looking at a moving pattern)

• The scans are able to distinguish which areas of the brain are used for the visuo-spatial sketchpad and which for the phonological loop

However, challenging the model, the scans do not find any area of the brain common to these tasks – showing no evidence of the Central Executive or Episodic Buffer

machine reductionism

Machine Reductionism

However, research examining the WMM is an example of machine reductionist as it attempts to explain a complex behaviour by comparing humans to computers (machines)

However, as memory is a complex phenomenon, highly affected by emotions and motivation, this undermines the complexity of human memory and does not provide us with a comprehensive holistic understanding of memory in everyday context…

limiting the usefulness of the WMM in explaining human memory accurately.

KF

this provides evidence for the need for dividing up STM into visual and phonological components

• the articulatory process has been damaged, they are correct for splitting up the PL from the phonological store.