Warrington & Shallice (1974): Study Guide

Question 1

What was the aim of Warrington and Shallice’s (1974) study?

Answer 1

To investigate the relationship between short-term and long-term memory using a case study of a patient (KF) who suffered brain damage.

Question 2

What was the procedure of Warrington and Shallice’s (1974) study?

Answer 2

Patient KF, who had sustained brain damage from a motorcycle accident, was studied using a series of cognitive tasks.

His ability to recall information presented verbally and visually was tested.

The researchers compared KF’s performance on tasks requiring short-term memory (e.g., recalling sequences of digits) with his ability to recall long-term memories.

Question 3

What were the key findings of Warrington and Shallice (1974)?

Answer 3

KF’s short-term memory for verbal information was significantly impaired, but his memory for visual information remained intact.

KF had normal long-term memory, suggesting that short-term and long-term memory are distinct systems.

These findings challenged the linear structure of the multi-store model of memory and supported the working memory model.

Question 4

Which memory model does Warrington and Shallice’s (1974) study support?

Answer 4

The working memory model, as it highlights the existence of separate components for verbal and visual information within short-term memory.