Classic Short-term Memory Research
This researcher suggested that our short term memory can hold up to about 5-9 items (chunks).
George Miller
Major function of short-term memory
Hold several interconnected bits of information at the same time so a person can process the information and use it accordingly.
This part of the brain is active when people are working on central executive tasks.
Prefrontal cortex
Research shows that high scores on working memory tasks are correlated with:
Intelligence, grades in school, reading ability, and verbal fluency.
This technique prevented participants from rehearsing letter by requiring them to memorize numbers and then count backwards by threes.
Brown-Peterson & Peterson technique
Why is working memory described as a "workbench"?
Because it actively manipulates and processes information, not just stores it.
This neuroscience technique uses magnetic field to briefly stimulate a specific portion of the cortex.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Why does individuals with anxiety about a specific subject may experience decreases in performance in that subject?
Possibly due to the effects of anxiety on working memory.
This effect explains why changing categories improves memory recall.
Release from proactive interference
Four components of working memory
Phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, central executive and episodic buffer.
What part of the brain is involved in phonological loop?
Part of the frontal and temporal lobe.
Which disorder shows deficits in central executive functioning.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Storage system that records information from each of the senses.
Sensory memory
What is the component of working memory responsible for processing language, sounds you hear and active during subvocalization?
Phonological loop
This technique records brief fluctuations in the brain's electrical activity in response to a stimulus.
Event-related potential technique (ERP).
Why does generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) interfere with a person's working memory ability?
Excessive worrying may reduce the amount of working memory resources to support other cognitive processes.
According to this model, only a fraction of information in short-term memory passes on to long-term memory.
Atkinson-Shiffrin model
This component of working memory processes both visual and spatial information.
Visuospatial sketchpad
Why can't your brain count numbers and subvocally repeat a word?
The capacity of the phonological loop is limited.
Which disorder frequently have difficulty with tasks involving the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the central executive?
Major depression