What happens when focus shifts from the phonological loop to processing visual information?

• A. The visuo-spatial sketchpad takes over entirely.
• B. The episodic buffer shifts attention between stores.
• C. The central executive is responsible for this shift in focus.
• D. The phonological loop expands to include visual information.

Answer: (C)

The central executive handles attention and shifting between storage systems. When you start focusing on a visual task, the central executive reallocates processing resources from the phonological loop to the visuo-spatial sketchpad, directing which store is in the lead. The visuo-spatial sketchpad then processes the visual information, while the phonological loop remains available for verbal input but is not the focus. The episodic buffer can integrate information from both stores, but it doesn’t control where attention is directed. The phonological loop does not expand to include visual information.