Working Memory Flashcards
working memory = short-term memory
Why should we care about short-term memory?
Think about all the things you do in a
day. You are using your short-term
memory all the time!
Working memory and cognitive control
difficulties are also implicated as symptoms in many mental health conditions (depression)
May be related to the dopamine system
Patient H.M., Henry Molaison
H.M.’s difficulty with remembering
events (and facts) from his life, in
juxtaposition to his intact ability to
carry on a conversation, hold onto a phone number, etc, inspired many models of how memory works.
These models emphasize a distinction
between short-term memory and long-
term memory
Short-term and Long-term Memory
● Short-term memory (STM): a temporary memory that is maintained through active rehearsal
ex: remnbering phone number
● Long-term memory (LTM): permanent or near-permanent storage of memory that lasts beyond a period of conscious attention
The Atkinson– Shiffrin Modal Model (1968)
1 decade after first paper about H.M
- Sensory stimulation
-
Sensory memory
* Visual
* Auditory
* Etc.
* Less than a second -
short-term memory (through memory)
* (Maintained via rehearsal or lost)
* seconds -
long-term memory
* Greater than Seconds
(Minutes/Hours/Lifetime)
we can also use long-term information while using short term (is bi directional)
The Atkinson– Shiffrin Modal Model (1968)
Pros
● 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
Cons
● 1. Issues with the term short-term
memory
● 2. Issues with referring to working
memory as a “place”
● 3. Emphasis on rehearsal
important!
pro
- There are lots of ways in which short- and long-term memory differ/are distinct
evidence 1
- give words and people have to recall those words.
- Performance follows a U shape
- First you recall the end of the list (recency), then the first words (the ones you rehearsed; primacy)
- Primacy effect due to long-term memory
- Recency effect due to short-term memory
pros
- There are lots of ways in which short- and long-term memory differ/are distinct
evidence 2
people with amenesia can recall phone numbers in a short period of time(short-term) but have diificulty remenbering events from their lifes
2. There are a lot of ways in which these systems interact
evidence 1
● Chunking (breaking information into smaller bits) is an essential tool for controlling our short-term memory and using it effectively to temporarily store as much information as possible
(using words/numbers using units together, acronyms)
ex: usning acronyms to remenber the planets of the solar system, you need to short-term remnber what the acronym is, but long term you need to know what they mean
con
1. Issues with the term short-
term memory
evidence 1
term
● Historically, the term short-term memory was used to refer to a temporary storage system by many (such as keeping a phone number in mind)
● 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
con
1. Issues with the term short-
term memory
evidence 2
term
● Working memory: the active and temporary representation of information that is maintained for the short term, available for manipulation
● Cognitive control: the manipulation and application of working memory for planning, task switching, attention paying, stimulus selection, and the inhibition of inappropriate reflexive behaviors; also
known as executive control or executive function
cons
1. Issues with the term short-
term memory
evidence 3
● Alan Baddeley proposed an influential model of working memory that includes two independent short-term memory buffers: the visuospatial sketchpad and the phonological loop
○ Visuospatial sketchpad: the component of Baddeley’s model of working memory that maintains visual and spatial images
○ Phonological loop: the component of Baddeley’s model of working memory that maintains auditory memories by internal (subvocal) speech rehearsal
Baddeley’s Working-Memory Model
Baddeley’s Working-Memory Model
● A third component of Baddeley’s model is the central executive, which monitors and manipulates both of these working-memory buffers, providing cognitive control of working memory
● The central executive’s manipulations include:
○ Adding to and deleting from the items in the buffers
○ Selecting among the items in order to guide behavior
○ Retrieving information from long-term memory
○ Transferring information from the visuospatial sketchpad and phonological loop to long-term memory
emphasize the need to manipulate information
cons
2. Issues with referring to working memory as a “place”
evidence 1
● Historically, the term short-term memory was used to refer to a temporary storage place—a temporary “loading dock” before information made its way into another place for long-term memory (much like the way I keep my notes on my desk before I put them away in image (a). This is a “place- based model”
● In contrast, more recent “state-based models” would argue that there is only one place for memory, although the memories can be in various states we activate (much like parts of a city lighting up in image (b)
place = explain memory too simplificaly
cons
3. Emphasis on rehearsal
evidence 1
● The way in which you encode information (shallow versus deep processing) is important for predicting what survives in long-term memory
● Rehearsal is not the only way information gets into long-term memory
Frontal-Lobe Anatomy and Consequences of Damage
● Studies of animals and humans implicate the frontal lobes—especially the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the most anterior (farthest forward) section of the frontal lobes—as being critical for working memory and executive control
● In humans, the prefrontal cortex encompasses approximately one-third of the cerebral cortex
○ Cats and many other animals have frontal lobes that occupy less than
4% of their cerebral cortex
Behavior Changes Following Frontal-Lobe Damage
● One noted real-life characteristic of frontal-lobe damage is a loss of ability to plan and to organize
- often the brain becomes demage because, their brain hits the front and back of the skull
● Dysexecutive syndrome: a disrupted ability to think and plan
● Frontal lobe damage can vary, and the pattern of symptoms depends on the location and extent of damage
○ But caregivers may remark that their loved ones show a change in personality and behaviours
■ Gambling
■ Dishonesty
But How does the Frontal Lobe get Damaged?
● Frontal lobe damage can be caused by tumors, surgery, strokes, or blunt-force trauma (e.g., “coup and countercoup”)
○ Professional (and even some high school) football players who routinely headbutt other players and experience rapid deceleration can sometimes show a pattern of
frontal-lobe damage and associated cognitive problems
○ Practical tip: It is very important to let your self rest after a sports injury (a
concussion requires rest)
Deficits in Working Memory Following Frontal Damage
● People with damage to the frontal lobes show deficits on many working- memory and cognitive-control tasks
○ Also impaired at tasks that tap short-term memory span, tasks that
require planning, and task switching
● Patients with frontal-lobe damage have no problem learning an initial rule, but later show perseveration, which means they fail 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
