Working memory model - cognitive psychology IB

• Believed that short term memory is not just one store but a number of different stores

• focuses on STM only

• Development of the multi-store model

• LTM is a passive store that holds previously learned material for use by the STM when needed

• key component in model

• directs attention to tasks

• Allocates information to the sub-systems

• Deals with problem solving

• Limited Capacity

• Limited capacity

• deals with auditory information and language — both written and spoken

• Baddeley (1986) further subdivided it into the phonological store; (hold words heard ) and the articulatory process ( holds words heard/seen and silently repeated like an inner voice )

• Visual and/or spatial information stored here

• Visual = what things look like; iconic memory

• Spatial = relationship between things - for example, how to get from here to the post office

• limited capacity

• dedicated to linking information across domains to form integrated untis of visual, spatial, and verbal information with time sequencing, such as the memory of a story, event, or a movie scene

• Main technique: The dual task technique ( e.g. saying a sequence of number outloud and reading something tryin gto asnwer questions)

• What does this study teach us?: if digit span is really a measure of STM capactity, participants would be expected to show impaired performance on the reasoning task because their STM would be fully occupied. However, researchers found particiapnts made few errors on either, although the speed was slightly slower

• Test: have a list of words and try to rememeber as much as you can

• it seems that the phonologucal loop holds the amount of information that you can say in 1.5 - 2 secs ( baddeley et al, 1975 )

• This makes it hard to remember list of longer words like ‘association’ and ‘representative’ as compared to shorter words like ‘harm’ and ‘twice’ and therfore inhibits rehearsal of longer words

• word length effect disappears if a persom is given articulatory

• NEED TO FINISH THIS POINT

• studies that use PET scans have provided evidence for seperate spatial and visual systems

• It appears that the left hald is more active, when people are performing visual tasks

• It appears that the right half is more active when people are performing spatial tasks.

• Visual memory is also processes in occipital lobe, whereas spatial memory in the hippocampus

Case of KF ( Shallice and Warrington, 1970)

• KF suffered brain damage from a motorcycle accident which damaged his short-term memory.

• KF"‘s impairment was mainly verbal information - meaning his memory for visual information was LARGELY unaffected.

• This shows that there are separate STM components for visual information ( VSS ) and verbal informtation ( phonological loop )

• the model has biological support. Different types of memory appear to be processed in different parts of the brain ( KF )

• The model helps to explain how we are able to multi-task. Dual task technique experiments support the model

• only focuses on STM and doesn’t adress how memory is consolidated in LTM

• The model does not explain memory disotortion

• The model does not explain the role of emotion on memory formation