Baddeley’s Working Memory Model: A Milestone in Memory Research

1

Baddeley’s working Memory model a milestone in the history of Memory research
Introduction
Baddelley’s working memory model can be considered as the “Dalton’s Atomic Theory” in
the field of working memory research. The theory of Dalton became redundant after a
passage of time, however, its importance cannot be denied because it was the first time that
someone has thought on the lines that there can be some invisible particles constituting every
matter on this earth. Researchers took an idea from this theory and now we have a well-
developed branch of science exploring the nucleus of the atoms for energy and other reasons1.
Baddeley’s working Memory model also did the same thing, it propagated a thought process
in the minds of the future researchers that working memory and short term memory may have
different components associated with it, and these components can play a crucial role in
addressing certain phenomenon’s related to the working memory 2. The first edition of this
theory came out in the year 1977, since then a series of controversies surrounded this theory.
Baddelley himself added three more editions in the same theory. However, against all the
odds and evens this theory standout as the primary framework that opened a new horizon of
the differentiation for the “working memory” and “short term memory.” This new horizon
expanded a new locus of the research for many other individuals working in direction of the
cure of certain critical psychological conditions where memory plays the role of an important
component.
1 R, Baxter. John Dalton and the Development of Atomic Theory, (Morgan Reynolds Pub,
2013) 93.
2 Alan Baddelay, Exploring Working Memory: Selected works of Alan Baddeley.(
Routledge,2017) 43.
2

In the current essay we are exploring a timeline of the researches associated with the concept
of the working memory and explaining the influence of the Baddeley’s working Memory
model in some of the major events that took place in this field. The attempts to corroborate
this theory yielded some amazing results in the field of the cures and the same thing can be
said about the contradiction of the theory as well3.
With the help of this essay we will try to establish a hypothesis that Baddelley’s work in the
area of the working memory is the ultimate conceptual framework for the researchers
exploring certain conditions in which working memory can play a crucial role.
The quest started with the concept that working memory is different from short term
memory
During the 20th century most of the researchers were unable to figure out the difference
between short term memory and working memory. Researchers in the field were finding it
difficult to explain certain areas of the brain where it stores different type of memory packets.
It is only during the 50’s that some researchers started claiming that short term memory plays
an important role in the functioning of the working memory. Prior to it, working memory was
a part of long term memory4.
During the 60’s many researchers came up with a conclusion that working memory is the
memory dependent on the recently stimulated part of the long term memory of an individual,
this hypothesis was inconclusive in many ways, working memory carries much more
information than this. In the year 1974 Baddeley and Hitch revolutionized the world of the
3 Milton J Dehan, Working Memory and Academic Learning: Assessment and Intervention,
(Wiley, 2013) 43.
4 Susan E Gather Cole, Short-term and Working Memory, (2001, Psychology Press) 67.
3