1. WMM
Lesson 12

2. Describe and evaluate the multi store model of memory (16 marks)
20 minutes: essay
Describe and evaluate the multi store model of memory (16 marks)

3. Assumptions of Approach of Working Memory Model
Baddeley and Hitch (1974) suggest a more complex and dynamic STM than the MSM version. All the information you are currently thinking about is held in the working memory, i.e. it is what you are working on. Hence “Working Memory”.
It has several but connected parts, unlike the single STM store of the MSM.
It is an active system. It allows us to work things through, like mental arithmetic, but has a limited capacity. They suggested a multi-component WM comprising of four components to represent the form of processing being carried out.

4. Baddeley & Hitch (1974)
Memory is not just one store but a number of different stores:
2 visual tasks = poorer performance but 1 visual and 1 verbal means no interruption
Focused on STM ONLY and believed it was not a unitary store (like MSM)!!
Saw LTM as a more passive store that holds previously learned material for use by the STM when needed.

5. The Working Memory Model (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974)
…From Memory!
In pairs or small groups try to sketch the model from memory.
Once draw – try to label with the following:
Type of information in each component. (1 point)
Capacity of each component. (2 points)
Coding of each component (3 Points)
Print this off to A3 paper and sick outside classroom for memory game

6. Working memory Model-Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
Central Executive
The attentional control system
Modality free: limited capacity
Where decision making happens
Phonological Loop
Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad
Spatial and visual information, temporary storage system.
Limited capacity.
Logie suggests further division:
Visual Cache and the inner scribe, which deals with spatial information. ‘The inner eye’
Phonological Store
Speech-based storage system. Holds the words you hear. Decay rate: seconds. ‘Inner ear’
Articulatory Process
Verbal rehearsal system. Words heard or seen are silently repeated.
Limited capacity
‘The inner voice’
Form of maintenance rehearsal
Episodic Buffer
Temporary Storage system that allows information from the CE/PL/VSS to be combined with information from LTM….integrates this information
If you were asked to count the number of windows in your house, you would do this using your VSS.
Manoeuvring around your bedroom in the dark?

7. Central Executive
Alan Sugar Represents the central executive He divides tasks between the rest of the panel He makes quick decisions He controls the situation He gets bored quickly (very limited capacity)
The central executive
store information for a brief period of time
limited capacity
performs a number of tasks such as focus and switch attention, co-ordinate the sub-systems and connect working memory with LTM.

8. Central Executive
Limited Capacity – Data arrives from the senses but it can’t hold it for long.
Determines how resources (slave systems) are allocated.
Baddeley (1986) uses the metaphor of a company boss to describe the way in which the central executive operates.  The company boss makes decisions about which issues deserve attention and which should be ignored. 
It involves reasoning and decision making tasks!
They also select strategies but can only do a limited number of things at the same time. The boss of a company will collect information from a number of different sources such as from the inner ear and eyes and information held in a large database (LTM).

9. Visuo-spatial scratchpad
Karren Brady
She represents the Visuo-spatial scratchpad
She watches the candidates and records what they do (visual sketch pad)
She records their progress relative to how each are performing against each other (spatial awareness)
Visuo-spatial sketchpad
limited capacity
divided into two components,
the visual component which deals with objects and features such as shape and colour
spatial component which deals with locations and movements in space and it involves tasks such as planning routes.

10. Visuo-spatial sketch pad
2nd Slave System…
Visuo-spatial sketch pad
Visual and/or spatial information stored here limited capacity
divided into two components,
the visual component which deals with objects and features such as shape and colour
spatial component which deals with locations and movements in space and it involves tasks such as planning routes.

11. Visuo-spatial sketch pad
2nd Slave System…
Visuo-spatial sketch pad
Imagine folding these shapes into cubes. Do the arrows meet? At the same time try to calculate how many windows are in your house.
Is this easy?
Try calculating the windows in your house while listening to music.
Is this easy?

12. Phonological loop Claude Littner Represents the phonological loop
He talks into the Dictophone to record what is happening (the phonological store)
He plays back the recording to remind himself of what the candidates were doing (the articulatory control process)
The phonological loop
divided into two components
a phonological store which holds auditory memories for a few seconds before they fade
articulatory rehearsal process which is essentially sub-vocal speech and has a limited capacity of about 3-4 items.

13. 1st Slave System…
Phonological Loop
Imagine… You are watching your favourite TV progamme when your Mum comes in and starts telling you about her day… What happens?

14. Phonological Loop Limited Capacity
1st Slave System…
Phonological Loop
Limited Capacity
Deals with auditory information and preserves word order – Inner Ear
Baddeley (1986) further subdivided it into
Phonological store (holds words heard)
Articulatory process (holds words heard/seen and silently repeated (looped) like an inner voice. This is a kind of maintenance rehearsal.

15. Episodic buffer Mark Burnett Represents the episodic buffer
Binds the visuals and sound together
Uses archive footage (LTM) to edit into the show
The episodic buffer
added in 2000
explain how information is integrated from the slave systems, and how the processing of information in working memory requires access to information in long term memory.
Relatively limited information into the episodic buffer

16. Episodic Buffer
3rd Slave System…
Baddeley (2000) added episodic buffer as he realised model needed a more general store.
Slave systems deal with specific types of information.
Central executive has no storage capacity
Buffer extra storage system but with limited capacity of 4 chunks
Integrates information from all other areas.

17. Consolidation
Complete the consolidation sheet too compare the coding, capacity and information in each of the WMM components.

18. WMM
Consolidation

19. Task
Activity 3: how does the Working Memory Model explain these behaviours?
Watching a film with moving pictures and sound, and perceiving them as one thing
Being able to repeat the word ‘the’ over and over again whilst drawing a picture of your house 
Being able to repeat sentences in your head for a few seconds
Being able to repeat a short melody that someone sings to you 
Not being able to recall seven long words (such as photosynthesis, exacerbation, serendipity etc) but being able to recall seven short words (such as car, house, dog etc.)
Participants not being able to follow a moving point of light on a screen whilst describing the angles of a hollow F

20. Activity 3
a) Watching a film with moving pictures and sound, and perceiving them as one thing
This is the task of the episodic buffer. It binds information together so that it can be experienced as one event and not two separate events
b) Being able to repeat the word ‘the’ over and over again whilst drawing a picture of your house
 We can do this because the phonological loop and the VSSP are completely separate, allowing this dual-task to be completed because of the different nature of the tasks
c) Being able to repeat sentences in your head for a few seconds
 This is the articulatory control system which allows a replication of short sounds

21. Activity 3
d) Being able to repeat a short melody that someone sings to you
This is the articulatory control system. The sound recorded and replayed does not have to be spoken word
e) Not being able to recall seven long words (such as photosynthesis, exacerbation, serendipity etc.) but being able to recall seven short words (such as car, house, dog etc.)
 This is because the articulatory control system has a limited duration and therefore capacity. The ‘loop’ only lasts for a few seconds, so not all the long words can fit on, whereas they can if they are short words
f) Participants not being able to follow a moving point of light on a screen whilst describing the angles of a hollow F
This is explained by the limited capacity of the VSSP which cannot cope with two visual tasks at the same time.

22. Starter: Questions
1) Since 2000, how many slave systems are there (not including the central executive)? 2) What are they called? 3) Each component is said to have a limited what? 4) What prediction can be made if two visual tasks are attempted simultaneously 5) What prediction can be made if a verbal and visual task are completed simultaneously

23. Answers 3
Visuo-spatial sketch pad, phonological loop (phonological store and articulatory control process) episodic buffer
Capacity
The tasks will not be completed very well
There should be little problem with completing the tasks

24. WMM
Evidence…
Now we’ve looked at the components of the model we now need to look at what evidence supports it!

25. WMM
To test the idea of more than one component, Baddeley and Hitch devised the dual task technique.
Let’s see what happened….. (test that we did at SDC)

26. Essay style question

27. Experiment Phonological loop has limited capacity and duration
Complete Activity 4

28. This powerpoint is now on the website under WMM in Paper 1
Planning an essay
This powerpoint is now on the website under WMM in Paper 1

29. The working memory model
This session has a number of targets for you to achieve
Consolidate your knowledge and understanding of the working memory model
Understand how to evaluate when writing a 16 mark essay
Learn how to plan an essay in order to get all the available marks

30. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
What does outline mean?
The command word outline requires candidates to describe whatever material is being asked about
Outline a model: draw the model then write about its parts (what it is) and its functions (what it does)
Outline a theory/explanation: describe the main assumptions of the theory/explanation
Outline a research study: This allows you to give details of the aims, procedures, results and conclusions of a research study
Outline the findings of….: This means you only write the findings of a study, and try to be as accurate and detailed as possible

31. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
For the full 6 marks for the outline section, you should:
Draw the model, highlighting each component
Describe each component in detail, highlighting important functions
State there is a limited capacity in each slave system
Then state the relationship between the subsystems – for example, that they are separate systems, with the CE in control and delegating tasks, the relationship between the episodic buffer and LTM. But be careful not to repeat yourself here.

32. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
Evaluation: worth 10 of the 16 marks You have to write a number of paragraphs which indicate to the marker that you understand how valuable this model/theory/explanation/study is to our understanding of human behaviour. Too many flaws, and it becomes weak, maybe even obsolete. However, many positives and few challenges, then it is a very useful tool to understanding ourselves.

33. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
Supporting evidence: Because we are looking at a model to explain behaviour in this essay, we need to know if the model is a valid explanation. To do this, we can analyse the findings of psychological research studies to see if the data supports the assumptions in the model.

34. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
Supporting evidence:
Warning! Plenty of traps here
When evaluating a model/theory/explanation, do not put details about the procedures, you get little credit for it.
Do not evaluate the studies unless it has a real impact on the strength of the theory. For example, if the only available evidence is very weak and/or methodologically flawed, then we cannot say with any certainty that the theory is correct (this is the case when evaluating Freud’s psychodynamic approach, for example)
Do not put too many studies in. Many models or theories have 10s if not 100s of supporting studies. But you only have 20 minutes or so to write this essay, so a rule of thumb is that two supporting studies will suffice, then a hint that many other studies replicate the findings so we have reliability

35. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
On your plan: Chose the findings of two research studies that give support for the WMM. Make sure you state how these findings support the existence of WMM (grounding) Look at this example on the next slide, but you have to use two others…

36. Example of supporting evidence and grounding
Gathercole and Baddeley (1993) found that participants found it very difficult to track a moving point of light on a screen, whilst simultaneously describing the angles of a hollow letter F. This was because both tasks require the visuo-spatial sketchpad, which has a limited capacity meaning it cannot deal with these two tasks. Other participants had very little difficulty tracking the light if they were simultaneously completing a verbal task. This is evidence of the two subsystems in working memory, as the ease of completion of the verbal and visual tasks must indicate two separate systems. It also supports the view that the slave systems have a limited capacity, as two similar tasks cannot be completed easily. Both of these findings are predicted by the WMM.

37. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
Challenging evidence: With evidence that challenges a theory, this usually leads to further research to see if the challenging findings were just a one off, or specific to the conditions of the study. If further challenge comes through, it is likely that the theory will have to be changed , or in extreme cases, completely discarded and replaced with a more valid explanation in light of the new evidence (this is how science works – a theory stands until new evidence requires a change) See the example on the next slide then use another study (ex. Eslinger and Demasio, 1985, p10 in pack)

38. Example of challenging evidence and grounding
Lieberman (1980) criticises the working memory model’s concept of a single visuo-spatial sketch pad. Lieberman (1980) found that blind people have excellent spatial awareness, although they have never had any visual information. Lieberman argues that the VSSP should be separated into two different components: one for visual information and one for spatial, which is something Baddeley and Hitch may want to consider to give a full explanation of working memory.

39. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
Explains better: One way in which a theory is considered to have value, is if it gives a better understanding than the previous theory. For example, although Darwin’s views on evolution were pioneering and are now largely accepted among the scientific community, Dawkin’s more detailed explanation about the selfish gene gives us a better understanding of the evolutionary process involved. In our example, we will state how the WMM is a better explanation that what is stated by the MSM

40. Explains better
See page 10 in the memory pack, and read ‘explains better’ (5 minutes) You can see that not only does this positive criticism state that the WMM is better than the MSM, it explains why it is important that we adopted the WMM over the concept of a single unitary STM Add these notes to your evaluation section on the sheet

41. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
Another great way to gain marks for evaluation is to offer realistic applications for the model/theory/explanation/study. For example, if a theory has been used to improve the lives of people, then not only is the of benefit to humans, but it demonstrates that the theory is valid, because when used its predictions come true

42. Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
See the practical applications offered at the bottom of page 10 and add notes to your plan. It might be that you could suggest some other practical applications too. For extra research, why not do an internet search on how the WMM has helped people in other areas

43. Model answers
comments and marks

44. Answer a What was good? Psychologist name correct (Baddeley and Hitch)
Reference to 4 main components
Some accurate information about each component
What was not good?
Detail of central executive and slave systems lacking
Language used not academic, for example“…In charge of everything” is too vague
No information about the relationship of each component to each other
No reference to the limited capacity of each component
The study should be an evaluative tool, not a descriptive tool, and would receive no credit
Mark received 2/6

45. Answer b
What was good?
Some information about VSSP and phonological store
Reference to Central Executive
Hint at WMM replacing STM
What was not good?
Very flawed description: confused with multistore model so selection of material is inappropriate
Incorrect information, for example Long-term memories are stored in the episodic buffer
Mark received 1/6

46. Answer c What was good? Very detailed description of WMM
All information accurate
Has given information about each component and what processes are involved
Made reference to the relationships between the components
Examples offered to help illustrate description
What was not good?
Very little, this is an outstanding answer
It may be argued that there is limited information about the episodic buffer
Mark received 6/6

47. Finally
Whether or not you offer a conclusion is up to you. As we understand it, the AQA board are not worried about introductions and conclusions to essays.