Historical, Methodological, and Philosophical Analysis of the Working Memory Construct

Abstract The authors discuss the continued viability of the working memory construct by examining its origin and historical development in the field of psychology and critiquing it on theoretical, philosophical, and methodological grounds. They do so by asking and answering the following questions: (a) When and why did the construct first emerge in psychological theorizing?, (b) What are the historical trends in how has it been defined operationally?, (c) How have researchers related it to the construct of intelligence at different points in time?, (d) Is it a natural kind or a cultural invention?, (e) Is progress being made in understanding the construct?, and (f) Where do we go from here? They conclude that there are sufficient reasons for continuing to examine the construct given its considerable predictive value and suggest that the most promising approach would be to delve further into its association with fluid intelligence by using several kinds of methods.