Evidence for the WMM

Hitch and Baddeley (1975)

Dual Task experiments:

Double Visual: Tracking a light and describing the shape of the letter F.

Also asked to do a visual and a verbal task at the same time.

Ppts found it much easier to perform the two different categories of tasks as they occupied two different slave systems.

Shallice and Warrington (1970) - Study of KF

KF was in a motorcycle accident and only suffered damage (reduced capacity) specifically to verbal STM and the visual and auditory STM was left untouched.

Supports the idea of there being separate stores for different forms of STM as he only had problems within what would be considered the phonological loop.

Paulescu (1993)

PET scans have shown evidence for different areas of the brain being used for the VSS and the PL.

Challenge: Does not provide any evidence for specific areas that are shared in common with the two main slave systems, meaning there is no evidence of the CE or EB

Machine Reductionism

Attempting to simplify the complexity of human memory by likening it to a computer.

Doesn’t account for motivations or emotions that could influence how and how well things are remembered - only contains sensory stores.

Computers also don’t require maintenance rehearsal.

Nomothetic/Idiographic

Nomothetic: Attempts to use studies to extrapolate a generalised approach that can be used on the wider population - more useful.

Idiographic: Usage of case studies cannot be generalised as the sample size is very small - KF we do not know if there were any pre-existing conditions weren’t accounted for.