THE WORKING MEMORY MODEL

THE WORKING MEMORY MODEL IS AN EXPLANATION OF HOW ONE ASPECT OF MEMORY - S[blank_start]TM[blank_end] - IS ORGANISED AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS. THE WMM IS CONCERNED WITH THE PART OF THE M[blank_start]IN[blank_end]D THAT IS ACTIVE WHEN WE ARE TEMPORARILY STORING AN DMANIPULATING INFORMATION, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN WORKING ON AN ARITHMETIC PROBLEM OR PLAYING CHESS OR COMPREHENDING L[blank_start]ANGUAGE[blank_end], ETC. THE MODEL CONSISTS OF F[blank_start]OUR[blank_end] MAIN COMPONENETS, EACH OF WHICH IS QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT ESPECIALY IN TERMS OF C[blank_start]APACITY[blank_end] AND CODING.

CENTRAL EXECUTIVE - THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE IS ESSENTIALLY AN ATTENTIONAL PROCESS THAT MONITORS INCOMING D[blank_start]ATA[blank_end], MAKES DECISIONS AND ALLONCATES SLAVE SYSTEMS TO TASKS. THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE HAS A VERY LIMITED STORAGE C[blank_start]APACITY[blank_end].

PHONOLOGICAL LOOP - ONE OF THE S[blank_start]LAV[blank_end]E SYSTEMS IS THE PHONOLOGICAL LOOP. IT DEALS WITH AUDITORY INFORMATION (I.E. CODING IS ACOUSTIC) AND PRESERVES THE ORDER IN WHICH THE INFORMATION ARRIVES. THE PL IS SUBDIVIDED INTO: 1. THE P[blank_start]HONOLOGICAL[blank_end] STORE, WHICH STORES THE WORDS YOU HEAR 2. THE A[blank_start]RTICULATORY[blank_end] PROCESS, WHICH ALLOWS MAINTENANCE REHEARSAL (REPEATING SOUNDS OR WORDS IN A 'LOOP' TO KEEP THEM IN WORKING M[blank_start]EMORY[blank_end] WHILE THEY ARE NEEDED). THE CAPACITY OF THIS 'L[blank_start]OOP[blank_end]' IS BELIEVED TO BE T[blank_start]WO[blank_end] SECONDS' WORTH OF WHAT YOU CAN SAY.

VISUO-SPATIAL SKETCHPAD - THE SECOND S[blank_start]LAV[blank_end]E SYSTEM IS THE VISUO-SPATIAL SKETCHPAD. THE VSS STORES VISUAL AND/OR SPATICAL INFORMATION WHEN REQUIRED. FOR ECAMPLE, IF YOU ARE ASKED TO WORK OUT HOW MANY WINDOWS THERE ARE ON YOUR HOUSE YOU VISUALISE IT. IT ALSO HAS A LIMITED C[blank_start]APACITY[blank_end], WHICH ACCORDING TO BADDELEY IS ABOUT THREE OR F[blank_start]OUR[blank_end] OBJECTS. LOGIE SUBDIVIDED THE VSS INTO: 1. THE V[blank_start]ISUAL[blank_end] CACHE, WHICH STORES VISUAL DATA 2. THE INNER S[blank_start]CRIBE[blank_end], WHICH RECORDS THE ARRANGEMENT OF OBJECTS IN THE VISUAL FIELD

EPISODIC BUFFER - THE THIRD SLAVE SYSTEM IS THE EPISODIC BUFFER. THIS WAS ADDED TO THE MODEL BY B[blank_start]ADDELEY[blank_end] IN 2000. IT IS A TEMPORARY STORE FOR INFORMATION, INTEGRATING THE VISUAL, SPATIAL, AND INFORMATION PROCESSED BY OTHER S[blank_start]TORE[blank_end]S AND MAINTAINING A SENSE OF TIME SEQUENCING BASICALLY RECORDING EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING. IT CAN BE SEEN AS THE STORAGE COMPONENT OF THE C[blank_start]ENTRAL[blank_end] EXECUTIVE AND HAS A LIMITED C[blank_start]APACITY[blank_end] OF ABOUT FOUR CHUNKS. THE EPISODIC BUFFER LINKS WORKING M[blank_start]EMORY[blank_end] TO LTM AND WIDER COGNITIVE P[blank_start]ROCESSES[blank_end] SUCH AS PERCEPTION

EVALUATION - CLINICAL EVIDENCE - SUPPORT FOR THE WMM COMES FROM S[blank_start]HALLICE[blank_end] AND WARRINGTON 'S CASE STUDY OF PATIENT KF WHO HAD SUFFERED B[blank_start]RAIN[blank_end] DAMAGE. AFTER THIS DAMAGE HAPPENED KF HAD POOR STM ABILITY FOR V[blank_start]ERBAL[blank_end] INFORMATION BUT COULD PROCESS VISUAL INFORMATION NORMALLY PRESENTED V[blank_start]ISUALL[blank_end]Y, I.E. HE HAD DIFFICULTY WITH SOUNDS BUT COULD RECALL LETTERS AND DIGITS. THIS SUGGESTS THAT JUST HIS PHONOLOGICAL L[blank_start]OOP[blank_end] HAD BEEN DAMAGED LEAVING OTHER AREAS OF M[blank_start]EMORY[blank_end] INTACT. THIS SUPPORTS THE EXISTENCE OF A SEPARATE VISUAL AND A[blank_start]COUSTIC[blank_end] STORE. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE FROM BRAIN-D[blank_start]AMAGED[blank_end] PATIENTS MAY NOT BE RELIABLE BECAUSE IT CONCERNS UNIQUE CASES WITH P[blank_start]ATIENT[blank_end]S WHO HAVE HAD TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES

EVALUATION - DUAL TASK PERFORMANCE - STUDIES OF DUAL-TASK PERFORMANCE SUPORT THE S[blank_start]EPARATE[blank_end] EXISTENCE OF THE VISUO-S[blank_start]PATIAL[blank_end] SKETCHPAD. BADDELEY ET AL. SHOWED THAT PARTICIPANTS HAD MORE DIFFICULTY DOING TWO V[blank_start]ISUAL[blank_end] TASKS THAN DONIG BOTH A VISUAL AND VERBAL TASK AT THE SAME TIME. THIS INCREASED DIFFICULTY IS BECAUSE BOTH [blank_start]VISUAL[blank_end] TASKS COMPETE FOR THE SAME S[blank_start]LAVE[blank_end] SYSTEM WHEREAS, WHEN DOING A VERBAL AND VISUAL TASK SIMULTANEOUSLY, THERE IS NOT COMPETITION. THIS MEANS THERE MUST BE A SEPARATE SLAVE SYSTEM THAT PROCESSES V[blank_start]ISUAL[blank_end] IMPUT

EVALUATION - LACK OF CLARITY OVER THE C[blank_start]ENTRAL[blank_end] EXECUTIVE - COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGISTS SUGGEST THAT THIS COMPONENT OF THE WMM IS UNSATISFACTORY AND DOESN'T REALLY E[blank_start]XPLAIN[blank_end] ANYTHING. ALAN BADDELEY HIMSELF RECOGNISED THIS WHEN HE SAID: 'THE C[blank_start]ENTRAL[blank_end] EXECUTIVE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BUT THE LEAST UNDERSTOOD COMPONENT OF WORKING M[blank_start]EMORY[blank_end]'. THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE NEEDS TO BE MORE CLEARLY SPECIFIED THAN JUST BEING SIMPLY 'A[blank_start]TTENTION[blank_end]'.FOR EXAMPLE, SOME PSYCHOLOGISTS BELIEVE IT MAY CONSIST OF S[blank_start]EPARATE[blank_end] COMPONENTS. THIS MEANS THAT THE WMM HASN'T BEEN FULLY E[blank_start]XPLAINED[blank_end]

EVALUATION - STUDIES OF THE WORD LENGTH EFFECT SUPPORT THE P[blank_start]HONOLOGICA[blank_end]L LOOP - BADDELEY ET AL. DEMONSTRATED THAT PEOPLE FIND IT MORE DIFFICULT TO REMEMBER A LIST OF L[blank_start]ONG[blank_end] WORDS RATHER THAN SHORT WORDS. THIS IS CALLED THE WORD LENGTH E[blank_start]FFECT[blank_end]. THIS IS BECAUSE THERE IS A FINITE SPACE FOR REHEARSAL IN THE A[blank_start]RTICULATORY[blank_end] PROCESS . THE WORD LENGTH EFFECT DISAPPEARS IF A PERSON IS GIVEN AN ARTICULATORY SUPPRESSION TASK - THIS IS A REPETITIVE TASK THAT TIES UP THE ARTICULATORY P[blank_start]ROCESS[blank_end]. FOR EXAMPLE, DOING A TASK WHILE SAYING 'LA LA LA' MEANS THAT YOUR A[blank_start]RTICULATORY[blank_end] PROCESS IS KEPT BUSY

EVALUATION - BRAIN SCANNING STUDIES SUPPORT THE W[blank_start]MM[blank_end] - BRAVER ET AL. GAVE THEIR PARTICIPANTS TASKS THAT INVOLVED THE CENTRAL E[blank_start]XECUTIVE[blank_end] WHILE THEY WERE HAVING A BRAIN SCAN. THE RESEARCHERS FOUND GREATER ACTIVITY IN AN AREA KNOWN AS THE LEFT PREF[blank_start]RONTAL[blank_end] CORTEX. WHAT WAS ESPECIALLY EINTERESTING WAS THAT THE ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA INCREASED AS THE TASK BECAME HARDER. THIS MAKES A LOT OF S[blank_start]ENS[blank_end]E IN TERMS OF THE WMM: AS DEMANDS ON THE CE I[blank_start]NCREAS[blank_end]E, IT HAS TO WORK HARDER TO FULFIL ITS FUNCTION