Name a classic case used to illustrate dissociation between verbal and visuospatial memory, and summarize the finding.

• A. Patient KF showed impaired phonological loop (verbal short-term memory) but relatively preserved visuospatial sketchpad.
• B. Patient HM showed intact verbal memory but impaired visuospatial memory.
• C. Patient S showed strong visuospatial memory but limited verbal memory.
• D. Patient J showed intact memory for both domains.

Answer: (A)

In the Working Memory Model, verbal information is handled by the phonological loop and visual-spatial information by the visuospatial sketchpad, and dissociations between them show these are separate systems. The classic case is KF, who had a severely reduced capacity for verbal short-term memory (trouble repeating spoken digits and words) but his visuospatial memory remained relatively intact. This pattern—poor verbal storage with preserved visual-spatial capability—provides strong evidence that the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad operate as distinct subsystems within working memory, rather than a single, unified store.