Working Memory

Question 1

Short-term memory (STM)

Answer 1

a temporary memory that is maintained through active rehearsal

Question 2

Long-term memory (LTM)

Answer 2

permanent or near-permanent storage of memory that lasts beyond a period of conscious attention

Question 3

Why should we care about short-term memory?

do not overthink this answer

Answer 3

• Think about all the things you do in a day.
• You are using your short-term memory all the time!

Question 4

The Atkinson– Shiffrin Modal Model: A

Answer 4

Incoming information flows first into sensory memory—brief, transient sensations of what you have just perceived when you have seen, heard, touched, smelled, or tasted something

Question 5

The Atkinson– Shiffrin Modal Model: B

Answer 5

Elements of sensory information -> short-term memory (STM)

Question 6

The Atkinson– Shiffrin Modal Model: C

Answer 6

There they go through various control processes + rehearsal and in some cases are transferred into long-term memory (LTM).

Question 7

Pros - OVERVIEW

Answer 7

1. There are lots of ways in which short- and long-term memory differ
2. There are a lot of ways in which these systems interact

Question 8

How do we know that STM and LTM memory differ?

HINT: HM

Pro #1

Answer 8

Patients like HM can have a brain injury where the lose the ability to make new long term memories, with no trouble forming short-term

Question 9

If asked to recall a list of random words, what would one’s plotted performance look like?

“Remember: BOX, CAT, BIRD…”

Pro #1

Answer 9

• Would look like the shape of a “U”
• Shows that we have a primacy/recency effect; not so good at remembering much in-between
• i.e. knowing you have to remember the list and trying hard in the beginning, getting confused in the middle, picking up the last few words

Question 10

Researchers say that primacy is driven by _ , and recency by _

Pro #1

Answer 10

long-term memory; short-term memory

Question 11

There are a lot of ways in which these systems interact

Pro #2

Answer 11

• We may use STM to form LTM, OR pull from LTM to make STM
• Atkinson model can be bidirectional

Question 12

Chunking - why does it help our STM?

Pro #2

Answer 12

• Chunking (breaking information into smaller bits) helps temporarily store as much information as possible
• AVA EXAMPLE: like how phone numbers are split up

Question 13

Cons - OVERVIEW

Answer 13

1. Issues with the term short-term memory
2. Issues with referring to working memory as a “place” (i.e. a component of the brain)
3. Over-emphasis on rehearsal

Question 14

STM as a term?

What did Baddeley suggest?

Con #1

Answer 14

• Historically, STM was used to refer to a temporary storage system by many
• But Alan Baddeley (in 1986) suggested that the term “working memory” is more appropriate to reflect the fact that we not only hold information in our mind but we often manipulate it

Question 15

Working memory (proper definition)

Con #1

Answer 15

the active and temporary representation of information that is maintained for the short term, available formanipulation

Question 16

Cognitive Control

Con #1

Answer 16

• the manipulation and application of working memory for planning, task switching, attention paying, stimulus selection, and the inhibition of inappropriate reflexive behaviors
• AKA executive control or executive function

Question 17

Baddeley’s Working-Memory Model - proposes two STM buffers

Con #1

Answer 17

• the visuospatial sketchpad
• the phonological loop

Question 18

Visuospatial sketchpad

Con #1

Answer 18

the component of Baddeley’s model of working memory that maintains visual and spatial images

Question 19

Phonological loop

Con #1

Answer 19

the component of Baddeley’s model of working memory that maintains auditory information/memories by internal (subvocal) speech rehearsal

Question 20

A third component of Baddeley’s model is the…

Answer 20

central executive: monitors and manipulates both of working-memory buffers, providing cognitive control of working memory

Question 21

The central executive’s manipulations include:

Con #1

Answer 21

• Adding to and deleting from the items in the buffers
• Selecting among items to guide behavior
• Retrieving information from long-term memory
• Transferring information to long-term memory (from the both buffers)

Question 22

Con #2

Question 23

Referring to working memory as a “place”: OLD VIEW

Con #2

Answer 23

• Historically, used to refer to a temporary “loading dock” before information made its way into another place for long-term memory

Question 24

Referring to working memory as a “place”: OLD VIEW - PLACE

Con #2

Answer 24

In earlier models this was the prefrontal cortex, with an emphasis on firing of cells. This region (as we will see later) is important but it is not the only region.

Question 25

Referring to working memory as a **“place”**: **NEW VIEW** ## Footnote Con #2

Answer 25

* In contrast, more modern views would argue that the **memories can be in various states we activate, spread across the brain** (much like parts of a city lighting up) * *Less emphasis on firing of cells*.

Question 26

Over-emphasis on rehearsal - **what facts challenge this?** ## Footnote Con #3

Answer 26

* Some events make it into long-term memory **with little to no rehearsal** * Also, **the way in which you encode information** (shallow versus deep processing) **is important for predicting what survives in long-term memory.**

Question 27

Over-emphasis on rehearsal - **What does this suggest?** ## Footnote Con #3

Answer 27

Rehearsal is not the only way information gets into long-term memory.

Question 28

-- Neural Correlates --

Question 29

Studies of animals and humans implicate **what area being critical for working memory and executive control?**

Answer 29

* the frontal lobes—especially **the prefrontal cortex (PFC)** * encompasses approximately one-third of the cerebral cortex

Question 30

One noted real-life characteristic of frontal-lobe damage is.. ## Footnote Behavior Changes Following Frontal-Lobe Damage

Answer 30

* …a **loss of ability to plan and to organize** * AKA **DYSEXECUTIVE SYNDROME**

Question 31

How does the Frontal Lobe get Damaged?

Answer 31

* tumors, surgery, strokes, or blunt-force trauma * EX: TBI/CTE in football players

Question 32

Deficits in Working Memory Following Frontal Damage

Answer 32

* Show **deficits on many working- memory and cognitive-control tasks** * Also **impaired at tasks that tap into short-term memory span, tasks that require planning, and task switching**

Question 33

Deficits in Working Memory Following Frontal Damage - **issues with perseveration?**

Answer 33

* Patients with frontal-lobe damage have no problem learning an initial rule * But later show perseveration: **failing to learn a new rule and, instead, persist in using an old rule despite repeated feedback** indicating that the old rule is no longer correct