In Baddeley and Hitch's model, storing memories in short-term memory is analogous to opening different files on a computer and adding information to them. Similar to how a computer file holds a limited amount of data and is formatted for a specific type of information, working memory has a limited capacity and uses distinct systems depending on the type of information received.

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Proposed by Baddeley and Hitch in 1974, this model serves as an alternative to the more linear Atkinson-Shiffrin model. It conceptualizes short-term memory as a dynamic, multi-component working memory system. A key distinction is its inclusion of a feedback loop, suggesting a more interactive relationship between short-term and long-term memory. The model features a central executive that manages several specialized short-term systems: the visuospatial sketchpad for visual data, the phonological loop for auditory and written material, and the episodic buffer, which integrates information. This structure facilitates the active processing and manipulation of information before its potential transfer to long-term memory.

Baddeley and Hitch's Working Memory Model

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

This model has been supported in many ways by cognitive neuroscience that followed it, but research has also led experts to believe that brain mechanisms for retaining material short term exist in more domains than the visuospatial and phonological (p. 116). To account for this, Baddeley in 2000 proposed an additional, less specific component referred to as the “episodic buffer” (p. 116-117).

Research Supporting the Working Memory Model

Other researchers argue that information located in working memory is comprised of contents from long-term memory that are activated. Those who take this stance believe that activation of representations is affected by processes of attentional selection, so constraints on attentional focus limit the capacity of people’s short-term memory. Evidence for this view has also been observed in neuroscience studies. This more general perspective conceives of working memory as not located in a specific brain system, but rather in short-term activation of neural systems that serve other functions, which are coordinated by attention to achieve a goal

Research Challenging the Working Memory Model

- Short-term Memory
- Long-term Memory
- Affective System
- Motor System
- Sensory memory
- Working memory
- Recognition memory

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