title: Limitless capacity: a dynamic object-oriented approach to short-term memory.
abstract: The notion of capacity-limited processing systems is a core element of cognitive accounts of limited and variable performance, enshrined within the short-term memory construct. We begin with a detailed critical analysis of the conceptual bases of this view and argue that there are fundamental problems - ones that go to the heart of cognitivism more generally - that render it untenable. In place of limited capacity systems, we propose a framework for explaining performance that focuses on the dynamic interplay of three aspects of any given setting: the particular task that must be accomplished, the nature and form of the material upon which the task must be performed, and the repertoire of skills and perceptual-motor functions possessed by the participant. We provide empirical examples of the applications of this framework in areas of performance typically accounted for by reference to capacity-limited short-term memory processes.
authors: School of Psychology, Cardiff University Cardiff, UK.
authors: Bill
authors: B
authors: Macken
authors: School of Psychology, Cardiff University Cardiff, UK.
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Taylor
authors: School of Psychology, Cardiff University Cardiff, UK.
authors: Dylan
authors: D
authors: Jones
keywords: language and memory; limited capacity; perceptual organization; perceptual-motor processing; short-term memory