The working memory model was proposed by two men called Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch in 1974.

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SOPHIE ELLIS

WORKING MEMORY MODEL

WHAT IS THE WORKING MEMORY MODEL?

The working memory model was proposed by two men called Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch in 1974. This model was an alternative to Atkinson & Shiffrin's 'multi-store' memory model (1968) to show that short-term memory was actually a lot more complex than the MSM (multi-store model) had previously suggested. Although the MSM was extremely successful in terms of the amount of research it generated, it became apparent that there were a number of problems with their ideas concerning the characteristics of short-term memory. This is an improvement over the multi-store model of memory because it is more detailed, and therefore we can learn more about the stores of memory in the brain from it. The working model proposes an active, multi-component short-term memory store with each sub-system having its own role to play in learning, problem solving and concentration. The original model of Baddeley & Hitch was composed of three main components; central executive, the phonological loop, and the visuo-spatial scratchpad. 

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CENTRAL EXECUTIVE

The central executive is the control centre responsible for coordinating the other slave units.  It is able to process information from any of the senses and appears to have a minimal storage capacity.  We use the central executive when we are concentrating on a task and it is sometimes likened to ‘attention.’  If we are attempting to do two things at the same time, for example read and hold a conversation, it is the central executive that switches our attention between the two, deciding which other components of the working memory to use. 

PHONOLOGICAL LOOP

The ...

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