Working (operational) Memory: Components And Functions
Working memory, also known as “operational” is a cognitive system that retains short-term information and manipulates it, thus allowing the execution of complex psychological behaviors and processes such as decision making or mathematical calculation.
The original theory that described working memory was the work of psychologists Baddeley and Hitch. In this article we will analyze the components of working memory according to this model and the functions that correspond to each of them.
During the 50s and 60s of the last century, different theories about memory emerged within the framework of the cognitivist paradigm. First we talked about sensory memory, which included the iconic or visual and the echoic or auditory, and later the distinction between short-term memory and long-term memory
The concept of short-term memory has been progressively replaced by that of operational or working memory. This change is due to the fact that, from contributions from Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch In the 70s, it was considered that this type of memory is not only a passive store of information but also operates on it.
According to Baddeley and Hitch, working memory is made up of a set of components that interact with each other. These systems work with verbal information “items”, visual or other types**; An item is understood as any unit of information with meaning for the person.
The classic model of working memory It was composed of three components: the central executive, which manages the use of cognitive and attentional resources, and two subordinate systems that process unimodal information, the phonological loop and the articulatory loop.
Baddeley later added a fourth component, the episodic buffer.
1. Central executive
Baddeley and Hitch described the existence of an attentional control system that they called the “central executive.” The main function of this component is allocate attentional resources to the tasks we are performing at a given moment, so that the rest of the memory systems are directed by the central executive.
This system also stores information but its capacity is limited; When demand exceeds the resources of the central executive, it uses the phonological loop and the visuospatial agenda which Baddeley and Hitch described as “slave subsystems.”
2. Phonological loop or articulatory loop
The phonological loop is a system that temporarily retains verbal information in acoustic format Depending on the model, the articulatory loop can passively hold a maximum of 3 items for 2 seconds; If we perform a “subvocal review” operation by repeating the information through internal speech, the capacity increases to 7 items.
If we focus on the passive aspect of the phonological loop, this component is close to the concept of echoic memory described by George Sperling and Ulric Neisser as a brief mental representation of acoustic information.
3. Visuospatial agenda
Baddeley and Hitch described a second slave subsystem that works with images: the visuospatial agenda. Its characteristics are similar to those of the phonological loop, differing basically in that it handles visual information instead of sound.
The visuospatial agenda has not been investigated as much as the articulatory loop and its characteristics have not been fully confirmed. Research suggests that the brain could process visual information separately (perception of details, color, etc.) and spatial, including the location and movement of stimuli.
4. Episodic buffer
The episodic buffer is the fourth and final component of the classical model of working memory, which was added by Baddeley in 1991 to his original formulation. From a theoretical point of view, it is associated with the executive functions of the frontal lobe of the brain.
According to Baddeley, it is a temporary store with restricted capacity, such as the articulatory loop and the visuospatial agenda. Nevertheless, works with multimodal information instead of doing it only with words or images. Its other fundamental characteristic is that it allows the exchange of information between long-term and operational memory.
TM functions: control operations
As we have said, the main difference between the concept of short-term memory and that of working memory is that the former was understood as a passive store, while working memory is also attributed active functions related to the management of available information
Let’s see what these control operations consist of.
1. Repetition
Repetition of information stored in working memory allows it to be retained for longer, which, in turn, allows time for other control operations to occur When this occurs, the probability of short-term memory being transferred to long-term memory increases.
2. Recoding, grouping or “chunking”
Recoding consists of creating complex segments of information (“chunks” in English) from simpler items. In addition to working memory, this operation involves long-term memory since the rules and strategies that guide recoding are stored in it.
Working memory deals with tasks such as listening and reading comprehension, solving problems, for example mathematical problems, and making decisions These processes are related to higher cognitive functions and depend on the interaction between the stimulation received and the information stored in long-term memory.
Is it related to intelligence?
It is considered that working memory has a very close relationship with intelligence, in the sense that a greater capacity in this type of memory is reflected in better IQ scores. However, little is still known about how the two constructs fit together.
