The Working Memory Model

The Working Memory Model

1. The working memory model

   • A model of the short-term memory to show how it is organised and how it functions
   • There are 4 components
     • The Central Executive
     • The Phonological Loop
     • The Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad
     • The Episodic Buffer

2. The Central Executive

   • The component of the working memory model which coordinates the 3 sub systems
   • Monitors incoming data
   • Makes decisions
   • Allocates slave systems to tasks
   • Limited capacity

3. The Phonological Loop

   • The component of the working memory model which processes auditory information
   • Capacity is about two seconds worth of what you can say
   • Subdivided into to parts - the Phonological Store and the Articulatory Process
     • The Phonological Store - Stores words we hear
     • The Articulatory Process - Allows maintenance rehearsal
   • Coding is acoustic - (due to being auditory information)

4. The Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad

   • The component of the working memory model which processes visual and spatial information in the mental store often called the 'inner eye'
   • Subdivided by Logie into two parts - the Inner Scribe and the Visual Cache
     • The Inner Scribe - Arranges objects we see in the visual field
     • The Visual Cache - stores visual data
   • Baddeley says it has a limited capacity - usually 3 or 4 objects

5. The Episodic Buffer

   • The component of the working memory model which brings all the information together and bridges it to the long-term memory
   • This is the newest component and was added by Baddeley in 2000
   • The capacity is limited - usually about 4 chunks

6. A03:

   • STRENGTH: Shallice and Warrington - KF he struggled processing verbal information but could process visual information. This supports the idea that there are two separate stores for visual and verbal information
   • STRENGTH: Baddeley proved that participants couldn't do two visual tasks at once but could do a verbal and a visual task at the same time. This supports the idea of separate slave systems as they were unable to do two verbal tasks as they were fighting for the same slave systems
   • WEAKNESS: The central executive is the most important component of the working memory model but is the least known, this suggests that the working memory model hasn't been fully explained