Working Memory

Working Memory

1. Short - Term Memory

   • Difference in cognitive functions
     • Overlap
       • Models E or B
     • Same cognitive process ?
       • Lack of agreement !
   • Cognitive system
     • Holding sensory events, movements, cognitive information
       • names, digits, words, etc
     • Brief period of time
       • 7 pieces of information
       • about 30 seconds
     • Ability to maintain information temporarily over period of seconds
   • Manteinance of information
     • simple span tasks
       • Maintain a collection of symbols, elements or spacial positions

2. Maintenance + Manipulation of information

   • Complex span tasks
     • Adding a demanding secondary cognitive task to a simple span task
   • Limited amount of information before recall

3. Differences?

   • Processing Load
     • Number of items or characteristics of the task
   • Duration
     • seconds
     • Time period for which information is remembered

4. Conclusions

   • Differentiation between STM and WM is far from clear
   • interchangeable use of STM and WM
   • large or even complete overlap between both
   • several variables mediate the differences between STM and WM
     • task performance
       • task differences
       • load differences
     • cognitive load
     • storage capacity, attentional demand, processing speed or strategy
     • borderline for differences between simple and complex span tasks
       • There are no standard STM or WM tasks