Resource allocation in phonological working memory: Same or different principles from vision?

Abstract

Abstract The nature of working memory resources—in particular, their quantization (discrete vs. continuous)—has been studied extensively in the visual domain, with evidence supporting models with flexibly and continuously divisible resources. It remains unclear, however, whether similar mechanisms mediate the division of resources in phonological working memory. In three experiments, we show that, despite representational differences between visual and auditory domains, the principles of resource division are indeed similar in these domains. Exp. 1 tests slot vs. resource models, Exp. 2 gauges the effect of attention on resource division, and Exp. 3 investigates the influence of attention on different stages of working memory. Collectively, the results provide support for a resource model of phonological working memory and, more generally, point to similar computational principles governing the allocation of working memory resources.