Baddeley and Hitch (WM)
What are the components, or parts, of the working memory system according to the multicomponent model?
- attentional controller = the central executive aided by two subsystems - the visuo-spatial sketchpad: visual storage and processing - the phonological loop (acoustic/verbal equivalent) - assumed to hold digit sequences for immediate recall o temporary speech-related/acoustic store o subvocal articulatory rehearsal procss
what key parts of the working memory system have been found to improve with age over childhood?
- capacity increases with age - central executive capacity increases (eg- child masters increasingly complex intellectural operations) - working memory: expansion in the range of operation of the phonological loop (development of the capacity for inner speech and rehearsal strategies; involvement of wider range of aspects of executive control in adults)
What is the suggested role of rehearsal in maintaining items in working memory?
- memory trace of items in the short-term store would rapidly fade, but could be maintained by saying them to oneself
What is the subvocal articulatory rehearsal process?
- one of the two basic components of the phonological loop (besides temporary speech-related/acoustic store)
What are two functions of the phonological loop suggested by Baddeley and Hitch?
- supports the acquisition of language, providing a temporary means of storing new words, while they are consolidated in phonological LTM - controlling behavior through self-instruction
What are the two by B and H suggested functions of visuospatial sketchpad? What are some examples?
1) principal function is to create and maintain a visuo-spatial representation that persists across the irregular pattern of eye movements 2) create and maintain visual images;
What phenomena did the original three-component model fail to account for?
It did not account for the way in which the various subsystems could work together and in particular how they could interface with long-term memory.
How does the idea of the episodic buffer attempt to address the issues?
Links information from the different subsystems and LTM basis of experienes (episodic memory) temporary store of limited capacity capable of combining a range of different storage dimensions, allowing it to collate information from perception, from the visuo-spatial and verbal subsystems and LTM. It was assumed to do so by representing them as multidimensional chunks or episodes, which were assumed to be available to conscious awareness. The capacity to bind a range of separate sensory channels into the perception of integrated objects is often regarded as an important function of consciousness
Based on what you learned about neuroanatomy, what types of brain regions would support executive controll ?
association areas (eg. frontal lobes)
What is the relationship between the central executive and attention?
attentionally-limited system that selects and manipulates material from subsystems?Crucial feature of working memory is the capacity to maintain attention against distraction
What is the "integrated alliance of executive control processes" the authors describe and what are the specific executive control processes included in this "alliance"?
capacity to focus attention, to divide attention between two or more tasks, and to control access to long-term memory
What are different types of visuospatial information that the authors claim are stored separately from each other?
information about space, and about objects and their visual characteristics, may be stored separately
What other cognitive processes have been found to be correlated with the capacity for working memory?
working memory span correlated with - measures of reading comprehension - performance on conventional intelligence tests based on reasoning capacity - many cognitive tasks - ability to inhibit distracting stimuli
What is the multicomponent model of working memory?
• According to the multi-component model, WM includes: o executive controller= attentional controller that interacts with separate short-term stores o for auditory-verbal (phonological loop) o and visuo-spatial information (visuo-spatial sketchpad)
what are the unresolved questions about capacity and decay B and H describe?
• Capacity: Do storage and processing draw on a single limited capacity, as proposed in the initial Baddeley and Hitch model, or are they separate, as in the episodic buffer version? • Decay or Interference: Is information lost through temporal decay of the memory trace, or is it displaced or over-written by other material?
What is the central executive? What does the central executive allow us to do?
• attentional control system of limited processing capacity control action • Supervisory Attentional System (SAS) comes into operation when behavior that is routine and habitual (controlled automatically by a range of schemas, well-learned processes that allow us to respond appropriately to the environment) is no longer appropriate • uses long-term knowledge in order to set up possible solutions, and reflect on them before choosing the best
how is the multicomponent model different from the older modal model it replaced?
• older Modal Model: human memory consists of a system that could be divided into two principal components: short-term store capable of holding small amounts of information for a few seconds. This fed into a separate long-term store holding vast amounts of information over longer time intervals
What are the main characteristics of working memory and how does working memory differ from long and short term memory?
• working memory: limited capacity part of the human memory system that combines the temporary storage and manipulation of information in the service of cognition (complex cognitive tasks such as reasoning, comprehension and certain types of learning) • Short-term memory: information-storage without manipulation component of working memory <-> not functional role in complex cognition • long-term memory: a separate part of the memory system with a vast storage capacity that holds information in a relatively more stable form