Working Memory, Thought, and Action
Abstract
This book is the magnum opus of one of the most influential cognitive psychologists of the past 50 years. This new volume on the model he created (with Graham Hitch) discusses the developments that have occurred in the past 20 years, and places it within a broader context. Working memory is a temporary storage system that underpins onex' capacity for coherent thought. Some 30 years ago, Baddeley and Hitch proposed a way of thinking about working memory that has proved to be both valuable and influential in its application to practical problems. This book updates the theory, discussing both the evidence in its favour, and alternative approaches. In addition, it discusses the implications of the model for understanding social and emotional behaviour, concluding with an attempt to place working memory in a broader biological and philosophical context. Inside are chapters on the phonological loop, the visuo-spatial sketchpad, the central executive and the episodic buffer. There are also chapters on the relevance to working memory of studies of the recency effect, of work based on individual differences, and of neuroimaging research. The broader implications of the concept of working memory are discussed in the chapters on social psychology, anxiety, depression, consciousness, and on the control of action. Finally, the author discusses the relevance of a concept of working memory to the classic problems of consciousness and free will.
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The paper defines executive functions as interrelated higher-order cognitive processes that allow goal-directed behavior and novel problem solving.
“Executive functions refer to a set of interrelated, higher-order cognitive processes that enable goal directed behavior and novel problem solving (Baddeley, 2007; Miyake et al., 2000).”
From Executive Functioning Heterogeneity in Pediatric ADHD (2019) · cites this paper as Baddeley, 2007
The working memory system has a single central executive controller that operates on functionally and anatomically separate phonological and visuospatial short-term memory subsystems.
“These approaches are based on compelling evidence that the working memory system is characterized by a single central executive controller that operates on the functionally and anatomically separate phonological and visuospatial short-term memory subsystems (Baddeley, 2007; Alloway et al., 2006; Smith et al., 1996).”
From Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach (2020) · cites this paper as Baddeley, 2007
Because all working memory tasks place demands on short-term memory systems, failing to control for short-term memory is likely to suppress working memory deficit estimates when short-term memory is less impaired or intact in ADHD.
“Because all working memory tasks inherently include demands on one or more short-term memory systems (Baddeley, 2007), failure to control for short-term memory abilities is likely to suppress estimates of working memory deficits to the extent that short-term memory abilities are less- or un-impaired in ADHD as suggested below.”
From Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach (2020) · cites this paper as Baddeley, 2007
The Baddeley (2007) model has considerable empirical support and has been widely used in ADHD research.
“the Baddeley (2007) model has considerable empirical support and has been used extensively in the ADHD literature”
From Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach (2020) · cites this paper as Baddeley, 2007
Residual phonological and visuospatial short-term memory scores correlate negatively with each other, which appears to contradict their structural and functional independence.
“In other words, the residual phonological and visuospatial short-term memory scores will correlate negatively with each other – a finding that appears contradictory to theory and evidence for their structural and functional independence (Baddeley, 2007; Gibson et al., 2017).”
From Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach (2020) · cites this paper as Baddeley, 2007
Set size 3 from each task was chosen as reference facets because Baddeley's conceptualization holds that central executive demands remain relatively constant as set size increases, while increasing set size mainly manipulates short-term memory demands.
“We chose set size 3 from each task given Baddeley’s (2007) conceptualization that central executive demands remain relatively constant despite increasing set size; increasing set size is viewed as primarily a manipulation of short-term memory demands (see Kofler et al., 2010 for empirical support for this conceptualization in an ADHD sample).”
From Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach (2020) · cites this paper as Baddeley, 2007
Support for the bifactor model includes replicated evidence that phonological and visuospatial storage systems are functionally and anatomically distinct and that a single domain-general central executive exists rather than separate central executives for each modality.
“Support for this model includes replicated evidence that the phonological and visuospatial storage systems are functionally and anatomically distinct, as well as replicated evidence supporting a single, domain-general central executive rather than separate central executive components for processing phonological and visuospatial information (Baddeley, 2007; Alloway et al., 2006; Smith et al., 1996”
From Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach (2020) · cites this paper as Baddeley, 2007
In multiple component models of working memory, the way in which incoming information is presented determines how it is stored during processing.
“In multiple component models of working memory, the way in which incoming information is presented also determines how it is stored during processing (Alan Baddeley, 2007; Logie and vander Meulen, 2009).”
From Reducing working memory load in spoken dialogue systems (2009) · cites this paper as Alan Baddeley, 2007
Visuo-spatial information is stored in the visuo-spatial sketch pad, verbal information is stored in the phonological loop.
“While visuo-spatial information is stored in the visuo-spatial sketch pad, verbal information is stored in the phonological loop.”
From Reducing working memory load in spoken dialogue systems (2009) · cites this paper as Alan Baddeley, 2007
A central executive system coordinates storage and processing of information in working memory.
“These slave systems are in turn coordinated by a central executive system, which controls both storage and processing of information in working memory.”
From Reducing working memory load in spoken dialogue systems (2009) · cites this paper as Alan Baddeley, 2007
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Cited by 2,432
- Authors
- Baddeley, A.
- Affiliations
- University of York (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Baddeley, Alan
- ORCID
- Baddeley, Alan
- Venue
- Oxford University Press eBooks
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Published
- 2007-03-15
- OpenAlex
- W1722621474
- Cited by
- 2,432
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 58 · 2025: 89 · 2024: 155 · 2023: 131 · 2022: 115 · 2021: 152 · 2020: 126 · 2019: 195 · 2018: 146 · 2017: 134 · 2016: 166 · 2015: 130 · 2014: 146 · 2013: 167 · 2012: 122
- FWCI
- 65.39
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Oxford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- working memory, Baddeley-Hitch model, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, central executive, episodic buffer, recency effect, individual differences, social behavior, emotional behavior, anxiety, depression, consciousness, free will, action control, thought and action
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