Are working memory models WEIRD? Testing models of working memory in a non-WEIRD sample

There are many competing working memory models, generally formulated from young adult, typically student, samples from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and developed (WEIRD) contexts. Whether such models are adequate conceptualizations of working memory (WM) in young adults from non-WEIRD contexts is unclear.

This study tested five possible models of the structure of working memory in young South African adults (n = 162; M_age = 20.41, SD_age = 1.82, 38% female) who are multilingual, from predominantly low socioeconomic, largely rural, contexts.

Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a four-component structure composed of domain-specific (verbal, visuospatial) storage and processing provided the best fit for the data.

Neuropsychological tests and rehabilitation approaches are based on leading models of working memory, and so their cross-cultural appropriateness is important. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).