Baddeleys (1990) Model of Working Memory

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Human Memory is a topic of much interest in cognitive Psychology. The distinctive questions which researchers seek to answer are varied on the topic. Overall questions about the nature of human Memory in cognition are actively involved in seeking to understand why and how things are; stored, forgotten and retrieved (Groeger, 1997). Scientific work aimed at developing the understanding of human memory in cognition was ignited around one hundred years ago by a German scholar named Hermann Ebbinghaus. He was interested in studying memory under strict scientific conditions and by greatly simplifying his research he was able to point out some distinctive elements of Human memory which before were unknown (Baddeley, 1997). Developments since then have been numerous for example theories of hypothetical memory systems have been produced which have seen considerable support. Atkinson and Shriffin’s multi-store model (1968) shares some similarities with the Working memory Model introduced by Baddeley and Hitch in 1974, which are two examples of these hypothetical models. The focus of this essay will be the Working memory Model. A point about the dual- task method will also be mentioned as it is a research method of vital importance to the model itself. The model will be briefly outlined with its inner components main criticisms introduced along with an overall evaluation. The Working memory model first comprised of three elements. The central element named the Central Executive was introduced as the main control/ processing system of the two slave systems named the Phonological Loop and Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad. The Central Executive is thought of as being a limited capacity processing system which can process information from the visual and auditory senses (Eysenck, 2006). The Phonological Loop a slave system of the executive described as a system which stores and manages
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