ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN DEFICITS OF ACCESS AND DEFICITS OF STORAGE- A QUESTION OF THEORY

In this paper we discuss some aspects of the role of theory in cogniti ve neuropsychological research. We will consider, in particular, the n ature of performance criteria used in classifying patients with acquir ed cognitive disorders, and we will argue that all such criteria are n ecessarily theory-laden. This issue will be discussed in the specific context of the putative distinction between patients with access vs. s torage deficits (Warrington & Shallice, 1979). We will conclude that a lthough the theoretical distinction between access and storage is pote ntially an exciting and useful one, the phononema that have been repor ted are far from compelling. Furthermore, and more importantly, we wil l argue that the proposal is not supra-theoretical in scope as has bee n claimed, but rather that its evaluation and verification rely crucia lly in the theoretical framework within which it is presented.