Penny for your thoughts: A review and proposed model of socioeconomic status, working memory and worry

Socioeconomic status is a complex psychological construct linked to a number of professional and personal barriers, including cognitive deficits. Current explanations of the link between socioeconomic status and cognition focus primarily on influences of external factors on development, with less attention paid to internal psychological mechanisms operating in the present. In this review, I propose The Bucket Model of Socioeconomic Working Memory Disparities as a complementary framework, which attributes a portion of socioeconomic deficits in working memory to increased worry and social comparison. To accomplish this, I first summarize research linking socioeconomic status to cognitive outcomes. I then explore the role of working memory specifically in these links. Finally, I define The Bucket Model of Socioeconomic Working Memory Disparities, exploring possible pathways by which worry and social comparison divert resources away from working memory processes.