working memory model

WMM

Concerned with the ‘mental space’ that is active when working on different problems

Baddeley and Hitch’s WMM (Central executive)

• Central Executive (CE): allocates tasks to slave systems:

  • supervisory role- monitors incoming data, directs attentions and allocates subsystems to Tasks

    • coding: modality-free/flexible

    • Capacity: very limited

Phonological loop

Deals with auditory information and processes it in the order it came in

• phonological store: store words you hear

• Articulary process- allows maintenance rehearsal (repeating sounds to keep them in WMM while three needed)

  • coding: acoustically

  • Capacity: 2 seconds worth of information

Visio-spatial sketch pad

Stores visual/spatial information when required

• visual cache- stores visual data

• Inner scribe- records arrangement of objects in visual field

  • coding: visually

  • Capacity:3/4 objects

Episodic buffer

Temporary store for information

• integrates visual, spatial and verbal information from other stores

• Maintains sense of time sequencing (record events that are happening)

• Links to LTM-episodic memory

  • Coding: modality-free/flexible

  • Capacity: 4 objects

Strengths of WMM

• clinical evidence- Shallice and Warrington studied patient KF who had brain injury-STM for auditory information was poor but he could still process visual info

  CA- KF may have had other impairments which explained poor auditory performance, instead of damage to his phonological loop

• Supporting evidence- Baddeley’s participants found it harder to carry out 2 visual tasks at the same time than do a verbal and visual task together- shows that there are distinct subsystems

Weaknesses of WMM

• testability- Baddeley said the CE was the most important but the least understood component. Therefore, unsatisfactory component which challenges the integrity of the model as it lack clarity