Working Memory (Oxford Psychology Series)

Based on ten years of research, this volume describes a new model for temporary memory--the brief, nonpermanent storage of information necessary for learning, reasoning, and comprehension. The proposed model involves a central controller and a number of "slave systems." The author outlines two of these hypothetical slave systems: the articulatory loop, which actively stores verbal material, and the visuo-spatial sketchpad, which is capable of storing and manipulating images. Supporting evidence derives from experiments on both normal and brain damaged subjects. The central executive component of working memory is related to models of attention and can account for the cognitive deficits observed in patients suffering from frontal lobe damage.