What patient pattern provides evidence for separate phonological loop and visuo-spatial sketchpad?

• A. A patient with impaired verbal short-term memory but preserved visuo-spatial memory demonstrates dissociation.
• B. A patient with equal impairment in both stores.
• C. A patient with enhanced memory across modalities.
• D. A patient with intact working memory overall.

Answer: (A)

Dissociation evidence shows separate memory stores. In the working memory model, the phonological loop handles verbal information, while the visuo-spatial sketchpad handles visual and spatial information. A patient who has impaired verbal short-term memory but preserved visuo-spatial memory demonstrates that these two systems can operate independently. This selective impairment indicates they are distinct components rather than a single shared store, which is exactly what researchers look for to support separate phonological and visuo-spatial parts. If both modalities were impaired equally, or memory were simply better across the board, that wouldn’t support independence. So this pattern is the strongest indicator of separate stores.