WORKING MEMORY MODEL

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WORKING MEMORY MODEL

• BADDELEY AND HITCH

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WORKING MEMORY

• This model focusses on short term memory, i.e.
  what we do with information just after we have
  attended to it.

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COMPONENTS OF WORKING MEMORY

• Phonological loop or articulatory loop
• this holds verbal information
• 2. The visuo-spatial sketchpad this stores
  visual and spatial information
• 3. The central executive this integrates
  information from all the sensory modalities in
  order to make sense of the world

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DIAGRAM OF WORKING MEMORY
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EXPERIMENTS FOR WORKING MEMORY

• Evidence for phonological loop p. 54
• Visual and oral presentation of material
• Spatial tasks vs visual tasks
• The Stroop effect

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THE COMPONENTS OF WORKING MEMORY

• If 2 tasks use the same component, then they
  cannot be completed successfully
• If they use 2 different components, then both
  tasks can be carried out

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CHESS

• Chess involves the use of the VSSP and CE, but no
  the PL
• Robbins showed this by asking chess players to
  fill their PL (repeating a word)
• This did not interfere with their ability to play
  chess
• This study demonstrates how the working memory
  model clarifies which processes are used in
  complex tasks

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VERBAL REASONING TASKS

• Verbal reasoning uses the central executive, as
  it is a complex task
• Hitch and Baddeley asked Ps to do a verbal
  reasoning task plus
• 1. another complex task
• 2. a simple repetition task ( counting 1-6)
• Ps completed the verbal reasoning successfully
  in condition 2 but not in condition 1
• This is because the central executive was already
  engaged in the verbal reasoning task

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EVIDENCE FOR THE PHONOLOGICAL LOOP

• WORD LENGTH EFFECT Ps could repeat a list of 5
  short words better than 5 long words.
• They concluded that the capacity of the loop is
  determined by the length of time it takes to say
  the words (about 2 seconds)

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ARTICULATORY SUPPRESSION

• Ps were asked to repeat la la la.
• This filled the articulatory loop.
• When they did this, the word length effect
  disappeared.
• This may be because they encoded the words
  semantically instead of acoustically.
• (Acoustic coding would require the articulatory
  loop)
• This was tested by giving them sentences and
  asking them if they made sense

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VISUAL AND ORAL PRESENTATION

• Baddeley presented Ps with words, both visually
  and orally
• Regardless of whether the words were presented
  visually or orally, Ps found worse recall if
  words sounded the same (e.g. fee, knee, he) than
  if words sounded dissimilar (e.g. bay, hoe, shy)
• So words are processed by the phonological loop,
  whether they are presented visually or orally

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THE PHONOLOGICAL LOOP IN EVERYDAY LIFE

• Baddeley found that children with reading
  problems had difficulty deciding if words rhymed.
• So these children had deficient PL.
• The PL is a component much used in the learning
  of languages

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EVIDENCE FOR THE VISUO-SPATIAL SKETCHPAD

• This is used for temporary storage and
  manipulation of visual material.
• Blind people will have a highly developed spatial
  sketchpad.
• PRACTICAL USES
• Finding a route when walking
• Playing computer games

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EVIDENCE FOR THE VSSP

• Logie When Ps were given a complex computer
  game, they did not perform well if the VSSP was
  engaged on another simultaneous task.
• Is the VSSP made up of one or 2 systems?
• Studies of brain activity when engaged in a
  spatial task is different than when engaged in a
  visual task.
• This is evidence that it is made up of 2 systems

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GENDER DIFFERENCES

• Males are considered to be better at spatial
  tasks.
• Montello found no difference in visual ability
  between males and females,
• e.g geographical knowledge

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EVIDENCE FOR THE VSSP

• The use of PET scans has shown that brain
  activity differs according to whether a person is
  carrying out a visual task or a spatial task
• Visual tasks use the LEFT
• hemisphere of the brain
• Spatial tasks use the RIGHT
• hemisphere of the brain

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EVIDENCE FOR THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE

• This component plays a critical role in
  attention, planning and coordination
• THE INHIBITION FUNCTION this is demonstrated by
  the Stroop effect.
• The CE carries out many functions automatically,
  and if this automaticity is upset then ability on
  complex tasks slows down

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DAMAGE TO THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE

• This occurs when the frontal lobes
• are damaged, and is called
• dysexecutive syndrome.
• They have difficulty solving practical problems,
  or managing time
• So they have problems holding down a job.
• However, because this syndrome can lead to
  several types of disorder, the CE must have
  several different functions

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STRENGTHS OF THE WORKING MEMORY MODEL

• It is more plausible than the multi-store model,
  because it combines temporary storage with active
  processing.
• It is more complex because it uses rehearsal
  (articulatory loop) as just one possible activity
  in temporary storage
• It explains how we combine the incoming
  information for complex tasks
• It explains memory in people with brain damage
  more effectively, e.g. KF and people with
  dysexecutive syndrome

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WEAKNESSES OF WORKING MEMORY MODEL

• It is argued that the central executive is
  modality free, but exactly how it functions is
  unclear
• We are not sure exactly how the components
  interact with each other
• It does not tell us anything about long-term
  memory
• It cannot explain why we can listen to music and
  carry out other tasks with no impairment

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TEST ON WORKING MEMORY MODEL

• Draw a diagram which represents this model. (3)
• Outline how information is analysed by the
  working memory components when making a chess
  move. (2)
• Outline key features of the working memory model
  (6)
• Explain one weakness of the working memory model
  (4)

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Outline how information is analysed by the
working memory components when making a chess
move. (2)

• The vssp takes in the visual information of the
  positions of the chess pieces. The central
  executive analyses possible moves, because it is
  in charge of complex tasks
• The phonological loop is not involved, because
  repeating a word does not interfere with the
  ability to play chess

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Outline key features of the working memory model
(6)

• The working memory model explains how information
  is processed in short term memory
• It consists of 3 limited capacity components
• The articulatory loop (AL) holds verbal
  information, so allows us to hold conversations
• The visuospatial (VSSP) sketchpad holds visual
  and spatial information, whilst the central
  executive uses the information from the AL and
  the VSSP tp execute complex tasks

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Explain one weakness of the working memory
model (4)

• The model does not clearly state HOW information
  is transferred from attention in the present to
  storage in long term memory
• There must be interaction between the components,
  but the working memory model does not clarify how
  this occurs, neither does it address the transfer
  of information from working memory to long term
  memory