What are the two components of the phonological loop?

• A. Phonological store (inner ear) and articulatory process (inner voice).
• B. Visual cache and inner scribe.
• C. Central executive and episodic buffer.
• D. Long-term store and sensory register.

Answer: (A)

The phonological loop consists of two parts: the phonological store (inner ear) and the articulatory rehearsal process (inner voice). The phonological store holds sound-based information for a brief moment, so you can retain what you just heard for a second or two. The articulatory rehearsal process silently repeats that information, refreshing it so it doesn’t fade away. This rehearsal also explains why we can keep more items when they’re shorter or easier to articulate—the word length effect. In short, the store provides the auditory content, and the rehearsing loop keeps it active through subvocal speech. Other components handle different types of information (like visual-spatial data) or provide control and integration, but they aren’t part of this loop.