Outline the main features of the Working Memory Model?

The working memory model was developed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974). It is an explanation of how short-term memory is organised. There are four main features to the model; the central executive, the phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad and the episodic buffer. The first component is the central executive which acts as the controller of the whole system. The central executive manages attention, monitors incoming data and allocates information to the slave systems (the phonological loop and the Visuo-spatial sketchpad). The phonological loop deals with auditory information and preserves the order in which information arrives in. The phonological loop is divided into the phonological store (which stores words you hear), and articulatory process (which allows maintenance rehearsal to take place). The visuo-spatial sketchpad deals with visual and spatial information. It is divided into the visual cache (which stores visual data) and the inner scribe (which records the arrangement of objects in a visual field). Finally, the episodic buffer was later added by Baddeley to the model and this component temporarily stores information and integrates visual, spatial and verbal information.