WMM eval Flashcards
Clinical evidence
Shallice and Warrington case study of KF support the WMM. He suffered brain damage and after this he had poor STM ability for verbal information but could process visual info. This suggest that his phonological loop had been damaged but others areas had been intact. Supports as it shows that there are separate stores for visual and acoustic memories. But Case studies tend not to be reliable because it uses idiographic approach.
Dual task Performance
Studies into dual task support the existence of VSS. Baddeley showed that ppts had difficulties doing two visual tasks than doing both a visual and verbal task at the same time. This difficulty is because both visual tasks compete for same slave system but verbal and visual require different. Supports as the existence of different STM stores.
Lack of Clarity over the central executive
Cognitive psychologists argue that CE doesn’t really explain anything. Baddeley himself said that the CE is the most important but least understood. It needs to simply be more than just attention. Limitation as it means that WMM hasn’t been fully explained. Some believe that the CE may consist of separate components.
Neuroimaging studies to Support WMM
Braver et al gave ppts tasks involving CE while scanning their brains. They found greater activity in left prefrontal cortex and when the task became difficult activity increased. Supports as it shows that as the demands of CE increase it has to work harder to fulfil its function.
