Author: Winston D. Goh
Abstract:
This paper reviews a variety of experimental paradigms that have been used in the
study of working memory. Special emphasis is placed on issues that are relevant to
language processing and comprehension. The first section describes the features
and procedures of simple and complex span measures. The demand characteristics of
these tasks and their implications for task performance are examined. The second
section looks at experimental issues such as the use of closed and open sets of
items in the memory span task, and the relevance of findings such as the
phonological similarity effect and the word length effect on the nature of
representation in working memory. The final section explores general theoretical
issues that have emerged since the Baddeley and Hitch (1974) model of working
memory. Directions for future research are discussed.