A researcher conducts a dual-task study where participants must trace a moving target on a screen with a stylus while simultaneously mentally navigating a map of their hometown. Performance on both tasks drops significantly compared to when each task is performed individually. According to Baddeley and Hitch's Working Memory Model, which of the following best explains this finding?
The phonological loop is overloaded because mentally navigating a map requires silent verbal rehearsal of street names.
The episodic buffer is unable to combine the spatial coordinates with visual coordinates, preventing the formation of a unified cognitive map.
Both tasks rely on the visuo-spatial sketchpad, which has a limited capacity, causing resource competition and interference.
The central executive redirects all processing capacity to the phonological store to suppress articulatory rehearsal.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Working memory model with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 34 questions, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
