Working Memory Model

Draw a diagram of the organisation of the 4 components of the working memory model

Identify the functions of the central executive (5)

• Co-ordinates, directs and monitors mental activity

• Controls working memory through:

• Monitoring incoming data

• Allocating limited attentional resources

• Allocating subsystems to tasks

Explain the functions of the phonological loop and its capacity (4)

• Processes auditory information

• Articulately control system = inner voice (repeats information in mind)

• Phonological store = inner ear (stores acoustic information)

• Capacity of 2.5s of pronunciation time

Explain the function of the visual-spatial sketchpad and its capacity (4)

• Processes visual/spatial information = inner eye

• Visual cache stores static pictures

• Inner scribe stores 3D arrangement of items

• Capacity of 3-4 objects

Identify 2 function of the episodic buffer

• integrates information from other components

• And from LTM

Explain how Baddeley’s findings from his dual task experiment support the WMM

• Doing 2 visual tasks simultaneously had poor performance

  • Overloads the VSS

• Doing 1 visual and 1 auditory task simultaneously had better performance

  • Involves both VSS and PL

• Suggests that there are separate processors in STM as shown in the WMM

Explain of the case study of KF supports the WMM

• Recalling words that he heard had poor performance

  • Only involves PL which is damaged

• Recalling words that he read had better performance

  • Involves both PL and VSS

• These findings suggest that there are separate processors in STM

What term describes when a theory is supported by more than 1 type of evidence

Triangulation

Explain the criticisms if the Central Executive concept

• CE is the most important but least understood component

• CE may have sub-components

• Case study of EVR - could perform reasoning tasks but not decision making

  • Suggests reasoning and decision making are separate functions of the CE and are in different parts of the brain

Explain why the WMM is a better short-term memory theory than MSM

• MSM is too simplistic

• WMM is more detailed and shows complexity of information processing