working memory
Temporary thought storage
Working memory is the mental system that temporarily holds and manipulates information during cognitive tasks.
It's what you use when you keep a phone number in mind while dialing, or hold the beginning of a sentence in your head while reading to the end.
Unlike long-term memory, working memory has sharp limits—most people can juggle only a few items at once before something drops: My working memory isn't what it used to be.
Demands on working memory
- information processingHandling and interpreting data
- executive functionCognitive self-management abilities
- prefrontal cortexBrain's planning and impulse center
- neural circuitsInterconnected signaling cell pathways
mental manipulation · neuroplasticity · attention · concentration · task-switching · mental capacity · thought processes · mental effort
Dividing into manageable parts
- storage limitsMaximum capacity allowed
- overloadBurden beyond capacity
- saturationState of complete permeation
- efficiencyProductive without waste
Mental understanding of meaning
- problem-solvingAddressing challenges methodically
- reasoningDrawing logical conclusions
- reading comprehensionUnderstanding written material
- mental arithmeticComputing numbers without tools
language acquisition · skill acquisition · note-taking · studying · academic performance · fluid intelligence · conceptual understanding · mnemonics
Converting data to format
- retrievalAct of getting back
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- maintenancePreserving working condition
- decayGradual organic breakdown
interference · forgetting curve · displacement · refresh · reactivation · persistence · fading · transience
cognitive load
Demands on working memory
- information processingHandling and interpreting data
- executive functionCognitive self-management abilities
- prefrontal cortexBrain's planning and impulse center
mental manipulation · neural circuits · neuroplasticity · attention · concentration · task-switching · mental capacity · thought processes · mental effort · brain function
chunking
Dividing into manageable parts
- storage limitsMaximum capacity allowed
- overloadBurden beyond capacity
- saturationState of complete permeation
comprehension
Mental understanding of meaning
- problem-solvingAddressing challenges methodically
- reasoningDrawing logical conclusions
- reading comprehensionUnderstanding written material
mental arithmetic · language acquisition · skill acquisition · note-taking · studying · academic performance · fluid intelligence · conceptual understanding · mnemonics · cognitive training
encoding
Converting data to format
- retrievalAct of getting back
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- maintenancePreserving working condition
decay · interference · forgetting curve · displacement · refresh · reactivation · persistence · fading · transience · updating
mental imagery
Pictures formed in mind
- bindingLegally or morally required
- Brain MeasuresEEG, fMRI, MRI images, brain scan, brain scans
- behavioral testscognitive tests, Skinner box, puzzle box, operant conditioning, startle response
- developmentgrowth, progress, advancement, expansion, improvement
- memoryremember, forget, recall, recollect, retain
- child developmentbaby, toddler, newborn, infancy, milestones
- psychologypsychology, psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, clinical psychology
working memorycognitive impairment
Diminished intellectual function
amnesia · memory loss · forgetfulness · distraction · inattention
work, memory, worker, working, works, workers, worked, memories, rework