Working memory model - The components.

Baddely and Hitch believed that the STM store in the Multistore Model was too simplistic: they thought that short term memory was not a passive store, but several active processes that manipulate information.

Central Executive

The central executive is considered the most important part of working memory, because it controls attention and coordinates the actions of the other components, it can briefly store information, but has a limited capacity. The central executive is modality free, which means that it can store information in any sense. This core component has two slave systems which work independently. 

Phonological Loop

The phonological loop consists of two parts, the articulatory control system and thephonological store:

• Articulatory Control System (The Inner Voice) The articulatory control system rehearses information verbally and has a time based capacity of about 2 seconds. It is helpful to think of it as the system that you use to mentally rehearse information by repeating it over and over again.
• Phonological Store (The Inner Ear) The phonological store uses a sound based code to store information, but this information decays after about 2 seconds, unless it is rehearsed by the articulatory control system. The phonological store receives its input either directly from the ears or from long term memory. If you imagine your favourite piece of music you are using your phonological store.

Visuospatial Sketchpad

The visuospatial sketchpad stores and manipulates visual information, input is from the eyes or long term memory. if you imagine an object and then picture it rotating you are using your visuospatial sketchpad.