Working Memory Model

Central executive

• Directs attention to particular tasks

• Attends & monitors info from LTM or senses & sends to other sub systems for processing & storing

• Very little capacity to attend to tasks

• No capacity for storing data

Phonological loop

• Limited capacity

• Stores 2 seconds worth of speech based sounds

• Phonological store - stores 2s of acoustically coded items to be stored (inner ear)

• Articulatory control process - allows sub vocal repetitions of items in phonological store (inner voice)

Visuo-spatial sketchpad

• Processes & stores mental images & spatial information

• Independent from phonological loop & limited capacity of 3-4 objects

• Used go plan spatial task - inner eye

Episodic buffer

• A general store that allows both sound & visual information to be bound together

• Integrates information from other systems and offers sense of time sequencing

• Records events & sends to LTM

• Limited capacity - holds 4 chunks of info for CE

AO3 No.1

• Research supporting limited capacity & separate nature of subsystems

• Gathercole & Baddeley - found participants found it more hard doing 2 visual tasks than both a visual and verbal task (2 visual = competition for same subsystem)

• Baddeley et al - ‘word length effect’, fewer long words can be recalled & more short words suggesting capacity is 2 seconds worth

• VSS & PL are separate sub systems with limited capacity

AO3 No.2

• Lack of clarity over CE & its exact role in WMM

• Baddeley - CE is most important but least understood part of WMM

• Case study EVR (cerebral tumour removed). Performed well on reasoning tests (CE intact) but poor decision making skills (CE not wholly intact)

• CE needs to be more clearly specified & may consist of separate components

AO3 No.3

• WMM compares favourably to MSM as it explains how memory functions and not just the structure

• Greater understanding of cognitive dysfunction e.g. ADHD & dyslexia (linked with impairments of working memory)

• Methods developed to help children with ADHD focus on tasks e.g. simple instructions to not forget what their doing

• Many tangible benefits of WMM compared to MSM where practical applications are limited