Multiple concurrent thoughts: The meaning and developmental neuropsychology of working memory

Abstract

Working memory can be described as the small amount of information held in a readily accessible state, available to help in the completion of cognitive tasks. There has been considerable confusion among researchers regarding the definition of working memory, which can be attributed to the difficulty of reconciling descriptions from working memory researchers with very different theoretical orientations. Here I review theories of working memory and some of the main issues in the field, discuss current behavioral and neuropsychological research that can address these issues, and consider the implications for cognitive development.

Figure 1

Depictions of theoretical models of working memory. A, Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968 model); B, three models of Alan Baddeley (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974; Baddeley, 1986; Baddeley, 2000); C, model of Cowan (1988).

Figure 2

Depictions of psychometric models of working memory. A, Engle et al. (1999); B, Conway et al., 2002.

Figure 3

Depiction of a popular version of the array-comparison task inspired by Luck and Vogel (1997).

Figure 4

Replotted results of Gilchrist, Cowan, and Naveh-Benjamin (in press). Top panel, access to clauses; bottom panel, completion of accessed clauses. Error bars are standard errors.

Figure 5

Depiction of the method of Cowan, Morey, AuBuchon, Zwilling, and Gilchrist (in press). See text for further details.

Figure 6

Depiction of some of the results of Cowan, Morey, AuBuchon, Zwilling, and Gilchrist (in press). [*Permission may be required from the journal.]

Figure 7

In three age groups, decay of memory in the final serial position of lists unattended during their presentation. The lists were adjusted based on span for attended lists and no decay differences were found elsewhere in the lists. From Cowan, Nugent, Elliott, and Saults (2000). [*Permission required from the journal.]