Model — Baddeley Memory
At the top of the hierarchy sits the . If working memory were a company, the Central Executive would be the CEO. It doesn't store any information itself; instead, it is an attentional control system. Its job is to direct attention, coordinate the "slave systems" (the loop and sketchpad), and integrate information with long-term memory.
While the Loop handles words, the handles what things look like and where they are. It is our "inner eye." It allows us to mentally rotate objects, navigate a room, or imagine a purple polka-dotted elephant. baddeley memory model
The original Baddeley and Hitch model divided working memory into three distinct components: the Central Executive, the Phonological Loop, and the Visuospatial Sketchpad. At the top of the hierarchy sits the
Keywords integrated: Baddeley memory model, working memory, central executive, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, cognitive psychology. Its job is to direct attention, coordinate the
For decades, the concept of "memory" was largely explained by a simple, two-part system: short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). The short-term memory was seen as a single, temporary holding tank—a passive space where information briefly sat before either fading away or being transferred to long-term storage.
Since its introduction in 1974 and subsequent revisions (most notably in 2000), the has become the most influential and widely accepted theory in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. It changed how we understand everything from learning and language to problem-solving and attention disorders.