Phonological loop
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The phonological loop, also called the phonetic loop or the articulatory loop, is the part of Baddeley's Model of Working Memory that rehearses verbal information. The first component is a phonological memory store which can hold traces of acoustic or speech based material. Material in this short term store lasts about two seconds unless it is maintained through the use of the second subcomponent, articulatory subvocal rehearsal. Prevention of articulatory rehearsal results in very rapid forgetting (a process known as decay).
When a song or tune gets latched onto the phonological loop, it is rehearsed in a constant loop. This is to prevent decay. This explains earworms, songs that gets stuck in one's head. The best way to overcome this phenomenon is to distract attention away from the tune. This will allow the natural process of decay to rapidly set in on the memory, thereby ending the rehearsal process.
See also
- Visuospatial sketchpad
Categories: Cognition | Memory | Psychology stubs

