The Working Memory Model
This model was developed by Baddley and Hitch in 1974. This is a model of short term memory. It was developed as the multi-store memory model was seen as too simplistic.
The Central Executive
This is an attention process. It monitors incoming information. It makes decisions and allocates information to a specific slave system. It has a limited storage capacity. For example, if you are listening to the radio whilst working and your favourite song comes on, it is your CE that directs your attention to the song.
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Slave System: Phonological Loop
This processes auditory information – the coding for this slave system is acoustic. It is subdivided into the phonological store where you store the words you hear and the articulatory process where it allows maintenance rehearsal, repeating sounds or words in a loop. Duration of the loop is around 2 seconds. For example when you are concentrating on the lyrics of a song on the radio – it is your phonological store that allows you to store the lyrics in your short term memory and your articulatory process which allows you to sub-vocally repeat them so that they remain within your working memory.
Slave System: Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad
This stores visual and/or spatial information when required. It has a limited capacity – about three to four objects. It is divided into visual cache where it stores visual data and inner scribe where it records arrangement of objects in the visual field. For example, if you are looking at a tin of biscuits on a shelf, it is your visual cache which allows you to see the shape of the tin and your inner scribe which allows you to see where the tin is in relation to other objects.
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Slave System: Episodic Buffer
It is a temporary store for information – storage component of central executive. It integrates visual, spatial and verbal information. It maintains a time sequence as it records events that are happening. It has a limited capacity of four chunks. For example, when you are focusing on a task that includes all stores in your working memory model, it is the episodic buffer that allows you combine these stores temporarily.
Evaluation of the Working Memory Model
Studies of people who have suffered from Amnesia suggests that there are distinct separate stores in the short term memory. Study of patient named KF who suffered from brain damage. KF’s recall was very poor when digits were read aloud to him (acoustic), but his recall was much better when he was able to read the digits to himself first (visual). This is a strength for the working memory model because this suggests that there is at least one store for auditory information and one store for visual information – in the case of KF his phonological loop had been damaged but his visual-spatial sketchpad was still functioning. Therefore, this means that there life evidence of different slave stores in working memory model.
One limitation of the working memory model is that there is a lack of clarity over the central executive. Cognitive psychologists suggest that this component of the working memory model is unsatisfactory and doesn't really explain anything, it needs to be more clearly specified than just being simply attention. This is a limitation as the central executive is the most important but least understood component of the working memory model. Therefore, this means that the working memory model reliability and detail as hasn't been fully explained.