On the distinction between deficits of access and deficits of storage: A question of theory

Abstract

In this paper we discuss some aspects of the role of theory in cognitive neuropsychological research. We will consider, in particular, the nature of performance criteria used in classifying patients with acquired cognitive disorders, and we will argue that all such criteria are necessarily theory-laden. This issue will be discussed in the specific context of the putative distinction between patients with access vs. storage deficits (Warrington & Shallice, 1979). We will conclude that although the theoretical distinction between access and storage is potentially an exciting and useful one, the phononema that have been reported are far from compelling. Furthermore, and more importantly, we will argue that the proposal is not supra-theoretical in scope as has been claimed, but rather that its evaluation and verification rely crucially in the theoretical framework within which it is presented.