Cognitive models (of memory)
IB Psychology· Cognitive approach· 14 min read
1. Core concept
A cognitive model is a simplified representation of an unobservable mental process, used to explain and predict behaviour. The multi-store model pictures memory as sensory → short-term → long-term stores; the working-memory model breaks short-term memory into components (a phonological loop, a visuospatial sketchpad, a central executive). Models earn their keep by making predictions that experiments can test.
2. Key studies
IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:
Glanzer & Cunitz (1966)
A delay-filling task removed the recency effect but not the primacy effect in serial recall. — Dissociates short-term from long-term memory, supporting separate stores (multi-store model).
Baddeley, Lewis & Vallar (1984)
Articulatory suppression removed the phonological-similarity effect, so information was held visually instead. — Evidence for separable components of working memory (the phonological loop).
3. Evaluation (AO3)
Strength — testable and productive — Each model makes specific predictions (serial position, dual-task interference) that experiments confirm or refute.
Limitation — simplifications — Models abstract away messy reality and lean on lab tasks and brain-damage cases, so they capture structure better than everyday, meaningful memory.
4. Scope
5. Common Pitfalls
Wrong move:
Using a model of memory to answer a 'thinking and decision-making' question (or vice versa).
Why:
A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
Correct move:
Memory models (multi-store, working memory) explain how information is stored; thinking-and-decision questions want the dual-processing model and biases. Match the model to the process being asked about.
Going deeper
- Schema theoryschema theory is a model of how meaning shapes memory — a different cognitive model (COG_8).
- Cognitive load theorycognitive load theory rests on the limited-capacity working-memory model (COG_3).