Support for the Working Memory Model
Psychology: AQA A Level, topic 2.1.9
Shallice and Warrington (1974) - Study of KF
The working memory model is supported by evidence from brain damaged patients such as KF.
Research aim & method
- Aim: To investigate a patient KF who had suffered brain damage in a motorcycle accident.
- Method: A case study using numerous psychometric tests, experiments and observations.
Results
- KF’s short term memory problems were much greater for auditory information than visual, suggesting his brain damage was restricted to the phonological loop.
Conclusion
- The case of KF supports both the MSM and the WMM as his LTM was unaffected by his injury, suggesting LTM and STM are different stores.
- His case supports the WMM as his visuospatial sketchpad seems unaffected by his injury, suggesting that resides in a different area of the brain to the phonological loop which was damaged.
Evaluation
- Strengths
- In depth and detailed.
- Limitations
- Cannot generalise from a case study.
Limitations of the Working Memory Model
Here are some limitations of the working memory model.
Central executive
- What does the central executive actually do?
- The model suggests that it allocates attention, but it is not fully explained why it is needed.
Lacks ecological validity
- Dual task experiments are very artificial – lacks ecological validity.
Lack of generalisability
- Cannot generalise from case studies on brain damaged patients.
Ambiguity about the LTM
- It is only a model of working memory and leaves many unanswered questions about the structure of LTM.
Test yourself on Support for the Working Memory Model
What does the working memory model tell us about the central executive?
Which of these is NOT a limitation of the WMM?