The Complexity of Working Memory: A Closer Look at Cognitive Processes

Essay, Pages 3 (577 words)

Views

166

Working memory is a crucial component of cognitive psychology that encompasses the visuo-spatial sketchpad, the phonological loop, and the central executive. The visuo-spatial sketchpad is responsible for encoding visual and spatial information, as well as analyzing and manipulating this information. Visual information pertains to the appearance of objects, while spatial information relates to the arrangement of objects in space. On the other hand, the phonological loop consists of the phonological store and the articulatory control process. The capacity of the phonological loop was demonstrated in an experiment conducted by Baddeley et al.

Don't use plagiarized sources. Get your custom essay on

“ The Complexity of Working Memory: A Closer Look at Cognitive Processes ”

Get custom paper

NEW! smart matching with writer

in 1975.

In this experiment, participants were tasked with recalling lists of short words and long words. Interestingly, they were able to recall more short words than long words. This phenomenon, known as the word-length effect, can be attributed to the fact that the phonological loop can hold the number of items that can be articulated in about 2 seconds. Since short words can be articulated more quickly than long words, participants were able to recall more of them.

This experiment sheds light on the capacity and functioning of the phonological loop within working memory.

The central executive serves as the control center of working memory, overseeing the allocation of resources to different memory stores and coordinating the retrieval of information from long-term memory. Evidence supporting the existence of working memory includes the dual task hypothesis proposed by Baddeley in 1986. By presenting participants with two tasks simultaneously, one digital and one reasoning, Baddeley demonstrated that short-term memory is not unitary but consists of separate stores.

This challenges the traditional view of short-term memory as a single entity and provides support for the multistore model of memory.

Critics of the multistore model, such as Shallice & Warrington (1974) and Eysenck (1995), argue that it is overly simplistic and passive compared to Baddeley's working memory model. For instance, Shallice & Warrington's study of patient K.F. revealed that his visual/acoustic encoding was impaired while his semantic encoding remained intact, suggesting the presence of distinct memory systems. Eysenck also criticized the emphasis on rehearsal in the multistore model, highlighting that not all information that enters short-term memory is necessarily rehearsed.

Moreover, the multistore model fails to account for the influence of long-term memory on short-term memory, as noted by Van de Goot (1966). This limitation underscores the need for a more comprehensive model of memory that takes into consideration the dynamic interplay between different memory systems. Baddeley and Hitch's working memory model offers a more nuanced and complex framework for understanding memory processes, emphasizing the active role of the central executive in coordinating cognitive tasks.

In conclusion, the study of memory and the models used to explain it have evolved significantly over the years. While the multistore model laid the foundation for understanding memory, the working memory model has provided a more sophisticated and comprehensive account of how memory functions. The future of memory research holds promise for further advancements in our understanding of cognitive processes, as new models may emerge to capture the complexities of human memory. As researchers continue to explore the intricacies of memory, we can expect to gain deeper insights into the mechanisms underlying cognitive functioning.