Topic Summaries

The working memory model

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Addiction

  • This model was proposed by 👥 Baddeley and Hitch (1974). It describes the STM as a system with multiple components. These include:
    • Central executive: decides what working memory pays attention to. It has limited capacity but can code any type of information. It is like a manager in that it gives tasks to the other systems depending on whether it is visual or auditory, monitoring them and taking over when necessary. However, a task that requires a lot of attention or is new will overload it.
    • Phonological loop: auditory information is passed on from the central executive to the phonological loop. It is divided into two sections – the phonological store (which stores words we hear) and the articulatory loop (which silently rehearses words that we have seen or heard to keep them in our memory). It has limited capacity and it codes acoustically.
    • The visuospatial sketch pad: visual and spatial information is passed from the central executive to the VSS which is used to plan spatial tasks and set mental images. It has a limited capacity and codes visually.
    • The episodic buffer: this element was added into the model added later by 👥 Baddeley and Hitch (2000) when they realised the original model did not account for storage. The episodic buffer collects and merges information from the other stores in order to record an event. It transfers information and retrieves information from the LTM to the STM. It has a limited capacity and can code any type of information.
  • Evaluation of the working memory model:
    • In 👥 Shallice and Warrington’s (1974) case study of KF who suffered from a severe brain injury and had bad STM for verbal information, they found he could process visual information. This shows support for the model as it gives evidence for there being multiple stores within STM, such as the visuospatial sketchpad and the phonological loop.
    • This model was produced based on evidence from lab experiments which makes the results reliable as they can easily be replicated. It also means there is likely to be confounding variables affecting the studies.
    • The central executive is argued to be a single component that delegates roles to different systems. However, some psychologists argue that there may be different stores within the central executive function, so there isn’t a consensus around this component or the model as a whole.

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