Working Memory

1
Working Memory

• Phenomenon to explain
• Ability to take attention away from items in
  memory, then come back and retrieve them
• Examples
• language comprehension,
• solving complex problems
• Other known properties
• Small capacity, 7 (/-2) items.
• Prone to phonological substitutions (sound alike
  errors), but not visually based substitutions

2
Working Memory Hypothesis

• Baddeley Hitch (1974)
• Model can account for current phenomena and makes
  further predictions.
• Baddeley has been refining it ever since with a
  vast range of methods.

3
Central Executive
Mechanism for Reading Buffer (inner voice)
Articulatory Rehearsal Loop
subvocal speech
Phonological Buffer
4
Hypothesis Tested

• Other Predictions Baddeleys Model Makes
• Memory span should be lower for things that
  cannot be named (vocalized)
• True Memory for non-nameable shapes is about 2-3
  items.
• Concurrent Subvocalization should lower letter
  memory span
• True memory span drops from about 7 to about 2
• If letters are presented visually (with
  concurrent vocalization) span should remain low,
  but
• Sound-based errors should be eliminated (or at
  least greatly reduced) True