A03

• What are the strengths of working memory model?

  1. Clinical evidence
  2. Dual-task performance
• What are the limitations of working memory mode?

  1. Central executive is too vague
  2. Problems with brain injured patients
• Strength = clinical evidence

  • Some brain damaged patients have revealed damage in their ability to process verbal information but not visual information
  • Shallice and Warrington (1970) studied case study of KF who after his brain damage following a motorcycle accident had difficulty processing sounds (verbal) but could recall digits and letters (visual)
  • This shows there are separate STM components for visual information (VSS) and auditory information (phonological loop) as KF's case suggests that just his phonological loop had been damaged leaving the other areas of his working memory intact
• Strength = dual-task performance

  • Studies of dual-task performance support the existence of separate components in the visuo-spatial sketchpad
  • Baddeley et al. (1973) revealed the existence of the sub-components within the VSS - tracking a dot of light (inner scribe) and imagining the letter F (visual cache)
• Limitation = central executive is too vague

  • Critics feel the notion of a single central executive is wrong and that there are probably several components
  • Eslinger and Damasio (1985) studied patient EVR who had a cerebral tumour removed
  • Performed well on tests requiring reasoning, suggests central executive was intact
  • However, he had poor decision-making skills suggesting in fact his central executive was not wholly intact
• Limitation = problems with brain injured patients

  • Process of brain injury is traumatic which may itself change an individual‘s behaviour so that a person performs worse on certain tasks
  • In addition, individuals may have other difficulties, such as difficultly paying attention and that is why they underperform on certain tasks