Working Memory Model

Working Memory Model

1. WMM

   • A representation of short-term memory. It suggests that STM is a dynamic processor of different types of information using sub-units coordinated by a central decision-making system.

2. Central executive

   • The component of WMM that co-ordinates the activities of the three subsystems in memory. It also allocates processing resources to those activities. It has a very limited processing capacity.

3. Phonological loop

   • The component of the WMM that processes information in terms of sound. This includes both written and spoken material. It's divided into the phonological store (stores the words you hear) and the articulatory loop (allows maintenance rehearsal). The capacity of the phonological loop is what you can say in 2 seconds.

4. Visuo-spatial sketchpad

   • The component of the WMM that processes visual and spatial information in a mental space often called our 'inner eye.' It is divided into visual cache (stores visual data) and inner scribe (records the arrangement of objects in the visual field). It has a capacity of three or four objects.

5. Episodic buffer

   • The component of WMM that brings together material from the other subsystems into a single memory rather than separate strands. It also provides a bridge between working memory and long-term memory. It has a capacity of about four chunks.