Double dissociation between memory subsystems would indicate what about verbal and visuospatial memory?

• A. Damage can impair verbal short-term memory while sparing visuospatial memory, and vice versa.
• B. Double dissociation is not relevant to WM theory.
• C. Both memory subsystems always degrade together.
• D. Only the central executive is affected by such damage.

Answer: (A)

Double dissociation shows that verbal and visuospatial memory are supported by distinct, independent subsystems within working memory. In the Baddeley–Hitch model, the phonological loop handles verbal information while the visuospatial sketchpad handles visual-spatial information. If a brain impairment or task selectively disrupts verbal short-term memory but leaves visuospatial memory intact, and another case shows the opposite pattern, this demonstrates that the two memory stores operate largely independently rather than as a single shared resource. That’s why the best description is that damage can impair verbal short-term memory while sparing visuospatial memory, and vice versa.