Final answer:
In Baddeley's working memory model, the central executive's primary responsibility is decision-making and problem-solving, which involves managing and controlling cognitive processes, rather than dealing directly with phonological processing, visual imagery, or long-term memory storage.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Baddeley's working memory model, the central executive is chiefly tasked with control and regulation functions, which are crucial for complex cognitive processes. The primary responsibility of the central executive is to oversee the different components of the working memory system, which includes the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the episodic buffer. Among the listed options, the central executive is predominantly involved in decision-making and problem-solving, rather than phonological processing, visual imagery, or long-term memory storage, which are handled by the other subsystems.
Baddeley's model contrasts with Atkinson and Shiffrin's model by offering a more dynamic view of short-term memory, emphasizing its active and manipulative characteristics, necessary for higher-level cognitive activities. The episodic buffer integrates information from the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and long-term memory, under the supervision of the central executive. This component of working memory is vital for tasks that require attention, strategy formulation, and the regulation of cognitive processes. It's this executive function that also plays a significant role in updating and manipulating information, and in directing focus to achieve complex cognitive objectives like planning, strategizing, and reasoning.
Research suggests that the prefrontal cortex is actively involved in the central executive functions. Studies utilizing neuroimaging techniques like PET scans show significant brain activation in this area during tasks that require executive functioning, further supporting the importance of the central executive in complex cognitive processes such as semantic tasks and problem-solving. Thus, when considering the cognitive activities listed, option c) Decision-making and problem-solving is the responsibility most closely associated with the central executive in Baddeley's working memory model.