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Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Working Memory. The Classic Research on Working Memory. George Miller's "Magical Number Seven" (7 ± 2) suggested that people can remember about seven items (give or take two) chunk—memory unit consisting of strongly associated components

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Chapter 4

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  1. Chapter 4 Working Memory

  2. The Classic Research on Working Memory • George Miller's "Magical Number Seven" (7 ± 2) • suggested that people can remember about seven items (give or take two) • chunk—memory unit consisting of strongly associated components • proposed that people engage in internal mental processes in order to convert stimuli into a manageable number of chunks

  3. The Classic Research on Working Memory • Other Early Research on the Capacity of Short-Term-Memory • The Brown/Peterson & Peterson Technique • Material held in memory for less than a minute is frequently forgotten. • present some items to be remembered; count backwards by threes (distractor task); attempt recall • rehearsal

  4. The Classic Research on Working Memory • Other Early Research on the Capacity of Short-Term-Memory • The Recency Effect • serial-position effect • recency effect • primacy effect

  5. The Classic Research on Working Memory • Other Early Research on the Capacity of Short-Term-Memory • Semantic Similarity of the Items in Short-Term Memory • semantics • Wickens and colleagues (1976) • proactive interference (PI) • Brown/Peterson & Peterson task varying semantic similarity on Trial 4 • release from proactive interference

  6. The Working-Memory Approach • Alan Baddeley & Graham Hitch (1974) • What does short-term memory accomplish for our cognitive processes?

  7. The Working-Memory Approach • working-memory approach—Our immediate memory is a multipart system that temporarily holds and manipulates information while we perform cognitive tasks. • central executive • visuospatial sketchpad • episodic buffer • phonological loop • long-term memory

  8. The Working-Memory Approach • The working-memory approach emphasizes the active manipulation of information in working memory.

  9. The Working-Memory Approach • Evidence for Components with Independent Capacities • Working memory is not unitary • Baddeley & Hitch (1974) • random numbers and spatial reasoning task • People performed remarkably quickly and accurately on both of these two simultaneous tasks.

  10. The Working-Memory Approach • In Depth: Phonological Loop • phonological loop—processes a limited number of sounds for a short period of time • subvocalization

  11. The Working-Memory Approach • In Depth: Phonological Loop • Research on Acoustic Confusions • acoustic confusions • Conrad & Hull (1964) • list of letters, presented visually • letters with similar-sounding names vs. letters with different-sounding names • lists of words

  12. The Working-Memory Approach • In Depth: Phonological Loop • Other Uses for the Phonological Loop • counting • forming long term memories • self-instruction • acquiring new vocabulary • reading • learning foreign language • mathematical calculations • problem-solving tasks

  13. The Working-Memory Approach • In Depth: Phonological Loop • Neuroscience Research on the Phonological Loop • frontal lobe • left temporal lobe • Romero Lauro and colleagues (2010) • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) • left temporal lobe, left parietal lobe • rehearsal, storage • short vs. long sentences

  14. The Working-Memory Approach • Visuospatial Sketchpad • visuospatial sketchpad—processes both visual and spatial information • also known as: visuospatial working memory, short-term visual memory

  15. The Working-Memory Approach • Visuospatial Sketchpad • Allows you to: • store visual appearance and relative position • store visual information encoded from verbal stimuli • limited capacity

  16. The Working-Memory Approach • Visuospatial Sketchpad • Research on the Visuospatial Sketchpad • performing two visuospatial tasks simultaneously • no standardized set of visual stimuli • tendency to provide names for visual stimuli, thus using phonological loop instead • Brandimonte and colleagues (1992)—say "la la la" while looking at complex visual stimulus

  17. The Working-Memory Approach • Visuospatial Sketchpad • Other Uses for the Visuospatial Sketchpad • engineering, art, architecture • retaining image of a scene • finding your way from one location to another • track a moving object • videogames, jigsaw puzzles, mazes

  18. The Working-Memory Approach • Visuospatial Sketchpad • Neuroscience Research on the Visuospatial Sketchpad • right hemisphere • occipital lobe • frontal cortex • frontal and parietal lobes

  19. The Working-Memory Approach • Central Executive • central executive • integrates information from the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, the episodic buffer, and long-term memory • plays a role in: focusing attention, selecting strategies, transforming information, and coordinating behavior • suppressing irrelevant information

  20. The Working-Memory Approach • Central Executive • Characteristics of the Central Executive • plans and coordinates, but does not store information • executive supervisor • decides which issues deserve attention • selects a strategy • decides how to tackle a problem • limited ability to perform simultaneous tasks

  21. The Working-Memory Approach • Central Executive • The Central Executive and Daydreaming • Teasdale and colleagues (1995) • random-number generation task • report thoughts

  22. The Working-Memory Approach • Central Executive • Neuroscience Research on the Central Executive • frontal region of the cortex

  23. The Working-Memory Approach • Episodic Buffer • temporary storehouse that can hold and combine information from the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and long-term memory • integrates information from different modalities • manipulates information for interpretation

  24. The Working-Memory Approach • Episodic Buffer (continued) • make connections between concepts • limited capacity • temporary memory system

  25. The Working-Memory Approach • Working Memory and Academic Performance • Scores on working-memory tasks are correlated with overall intelligence and grades in school. • Scores on tests of working memory—especially the phonological loop—are usually correlated with reading ability.

  26. The Working-Memory Approach • Working Memory and Academic Performance • Scores on central-executive tasks are correlated with verbal fluency, reading comprehension, reasoning ability, and note-taking skills. • People with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have more difficulty than others on central-executive tasks.

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