The Working Memory Model
“The working memory model: central
executive, phonological loop, Visuo-spatial
sketchpad and episodic buffer. Features of
the model.”
The Working Memory Model
AO1
State the functions of each of the four
stores of the WMM
AO2
Apply knowledge of the WMM to results
from a Dual-Tasks
AO3
Evaluate the Working Memory Model
using case studies, clinical evidence and
studies of dual-task performance.
Working Memory Model
Components of working memory
Central Executive: Directs attention to particular tasks. It controls the
other systems by determining how resources will be allocated. (Think a
control tower at an airport.)
Phonological loop: Controls auditory information. Further subdivided
into the phonological store (inner ear) and articulatory process (inner
voice).
Visuo-spatial pad: Processes visual and spatial information (how things
look and where they are).
Episodic buffer: General store. Added later to the model to account for
things that use both visual and acoustic information.
• We saw with the multi-store model that a
representation is drawn.
• We will now look at the working memory
model…whilst exercising your memories!
– In groups of 4
– A3 paper each
– Each take turn at looking at the model for 30 seconds
then report back to group. Group must try and draw
model from reports – reporter CANNOT draw!
The Working Memory Model (Baddeley & Hitch,
1974)
• Key component in model
• Functions:
–Direct attention to tasks
– Determine how resources
(slave systems) are allocated.
• Limited Capacity
• Limited Capacity
• Deals with auditory information and
preserves word order
• Baddeley (1986) further subdivided it into
– Phonological store ( holds words heard)
– Articulatory process ( holds words heard/seen
and silently repeated ( looped) like an inner
voice.
• Visual and/or spatial information stored
here
– Visual = what things look like
– Spatial = relationships between things
• Limited capacity
• Logie (1995) suggested subdivision:
– Visuo-cache (store)
– Inner scribe for spatial relations.
• Baddeley ( 2000) added episodic buffer as he
realised model needed a more general store.
• Slave systems deal with specific types of
information.
• Central executive has no storage capacity
• Buffer extra storage system but with limited
capacity.
• Integrates information from all other areas.
• We’ve seen the model now lets talk
about the model.....
– Write ONE question about the working
memory model (that you know the answer
to).
– You will go and test the class and see how
well they have understood/remembered
the model.
• To test the idea of more than one component,
Baddeley and Hitch devised the dual task
technique.
• Let’s see what happened…..
Your turn!
• You will now complete a dual task technique ( one that
was used by Baddeley and Hitch).
• Repeat the numbers below aloud whilst ticking the
true/false answers
482917
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
B is followed by A
A is preceded by B
A is not followed by B
B follows A
B does not follow A
B is not followed by A
A follows B
B is not preceded by A
A is not followed by B
B does not precede A
BA
AB
BA
AB
BA
AB
AB
AB
BA
AB
True/False
True/False
True/False
True/False
True/False
True/False
True/False
True/False
True/False
True/False
Their research (Baddeley & Hitch)…..
• Asked participants to perform a reasoning task whilst
simultaneously reciting aloud a list of 6 digits.
• If digit span is really a measure of STM capacity,
participants would be expected to show impaired
performance on the reasoning task because their
STM would be fully occupied.
• However, found participants made few errors on
either, though the speed was slightly slower.
Summarise
1) What did they do in the experiment (HINT: it’s
what you did!!)
2) How does this support evidence for the
working memory model?
• Baddeley (1996) investigated selective attention and switching
retrieval plans. Asked participants to generate random strings
of digits on a keyboard (this is quite hard as you have to pay
close attention in order to avoid some kind of pattern
emerging).
• This was carried out:
a)
b)
c)
d)
Alone (control)
Alongside another task such as reciting the alphabet - Condition 1
Counting from one – Condition 2
Alternating between letters and numbers (A1, B2, C3) – Condition
3.
• The generated digit string became increasingly less random in
Condition 3 where participants had to switch from alphabet to
numbers at the same time.
• Baddeley concluded that both the random number generation
task and the alternation task were competing for the same
central executive resources.
• Remember the following:
• Harm
• Twice
• Calm
• Share
• Tree
• Book
• Sun
• Four
• Key
• Short
Recall them!
• How many did you get right?
• Harm
• Twice
• Calm
• Share
• Tree
• Book
• Sun
• Four
• Key
• Short
And again..recall these:
• Association
• Representative
• Discouragement
• Meaningfulness
• Suppression
• Enhancing
• Component
• Performances
• Forgetting
• Damaging
Recall them!
• How many did you get right?
• Association
• Representative
• Discouragement
• Meaningfulness
• Suppression
• Enhancing
• Component
• Performances
• Forgetting
• Damaging
• It seems that the phonological loop holds the
amount of information that you can say in 1.5
- 2 seconds (Baddeley et al, 1975).
• This makes it hard to remember a list of long
words
such
as
‘association’
and
‘representative’ compared to shorter words
like ‘harm’ and ‘twice’ and therefore inhibits
rehearsal of longer words!
• Word length effect disappears if a person is
given an articulatory suppression task (‘the,
the, the’ while reading the words).
• The repetitive task ties up the articulatory
process and means you can’t rehearse the
shorter words more quickly than the longer
ones, so the word length effect disappears.
• Baddeley et al (1975) demonstrated the existence of the visuospatial sketchpad.
• Participants were given a visual tracing task (they had to track a
moving light with a pointer). At the same time they were given
one of two other tasks;
a)
b)
Task 1 was to describe all the angles on the letter F.
Task 2 was to perform a verbal task.
• Task 1 was very difficult, but not task 2, presumably because
the second task involved two different components (or slave
systems).
• This is also evidence related to the effects of doing two tasks
using the same or different components. This was a highly
controlled laboratory experiment using a repeated measures
design to eliminate individual differences. However, the task
was rather artificial.
• Baddeley et al (1987)
– PPTs were shown words and then immediate recall
– Recall was much better for sentences (related
words) than unrelated
• Supports idea of ‘general’ memory store that
draws on LTM (semantics)
• Case of KF (Shallice and Warrington, 1970)
showed that STM works independently of LTM.
• STM forgetting of auditory information was much
greater than that of visual stimuli. Thus his brain
damage seemed to be restricted to the
phonological loop.
– Letters
– Meaningful sounds…ring ring
• LH - had been involved in a road accident.
Performed better on spatial tasks than those
involving visual imagery (Farah et al, 1988). This
suggests separate visual and spatial systems.
Working Memory Model or
Multi-Store Model? Which is
better? Why?
Pass the ReactaBall around the classroom. When it gets to
you a word will appear on the board. You need to contribute
as follows:
What is an evaluation point of the WMM? What is a piece of
evidence we can use to evaluate the WMM?
So What? What does this mean for the WMM Model?
Elaborate on the previous point. What does the research evidence
suggest?
However… How can we contradict this point? Give an
alternative contrasting evaluation point of the WMM. Or give an
alternative contrasting piece of evidence.
.
What is an evaluation point of the WMM?
What is a piece of evidence we can use to
evaluate the WMM?
.
So What? What does this mean for the WMM
Model?
Elaborate on the previous point.
What does the research evidence suggest?
.
However…
How can we contradict this point?
Give an alternative contrasting evaluation point of the
WMM.
Or give an alternative contrasting piece of evidence.
.
So What? What does this mean for the WMM
Model?
Elaborate on the previous point.
What does the research evidence suggest?
.
However…
How can we contradict this point?
Give an alternative contrasting evaluation point of the
WMM.
Or give an alternative contrasting piece of evidence.
.
So What? What does this mean for the WMM
Model?
Elaborate on the previous point.
What does the research evidence suggest?
.
However…
How can we contradict this point?
Give an alternative contrasting evaluation point of the
WMM.
Or give an alternative contrasting piece of evidence.
.
So What? What does this mean for the WMM
Model?
Elaborate on the previous point.
What does the research evidence suggest?
1) How does the WMM compare the MSM?
2) How reliable is the evidence for the WMM? What methods
have been used?
3) How can the WMM be useful in real life? Does it have any
real life applications?
4) How comprehensive is the WMM in explaining memory?
Use your textbook to create a revision
page for ‘explanations of forgetting’.
Make sure to include AO1 (Knowledge)
and AO3 (Evaluation)
You will be tested on this knowledge
next week