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MENTAL MODEL · M12198

Phonological Loop

Phonological Loop
Learn & MetacognitionHigh supportCognitive Psychology
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Updated 2026-08-17

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

The phonological loop is the component of working memory that stores verbal and acoustic information for a few seconds. It consists of a phonological store, which holds the sound trace, and an articulatory rehearsal process, which silently repeats the material to refresh it before it decays. The loop explains familiar phenomena: why we mutter a phone number to keep it alive, why rhyming items are harder to recall together, and why converting visual material into verbal code improves its retention. Its capacity is small, so anything that cannot be rehearsed in time is lost.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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- Rehearse on purpose: silently repeat what you must hold, since the trace decays in seconds without refresh. - Recode visuals into words: name diagrams and numbers to move them into the verbal store. - Keep similar sounds apart: avoid memorizing rhyming items together, because they interfere.

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Sound traces in the store fade within a few seconds unless refreshed. Silent articulation re-enters the material into the store, buying a few more seconds each cycle, which is why subvocal repetition keeps a number available while you dial. Because the store represents sound, items with similar phonology overlap and overwrite each other, producing the phonological similarity effect. The loop's capacity is set by how much can be re-articulated in the decay window, not by a fixed slot count.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baddeley's_model_of_working_memoryZH · Explicit
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