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Related Concept Videos

Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Event-related potential measures of visual working memory.

Trafton W Drew1, Andrew W McCollough, Edward K Vogel

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403-1227, USA.

Clinical EEG and Neuroscience
|November 1, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Visual working memory capacity, typically 3-4 items, is explored using neurophysiological methods. The contralateral delay activity (CDA) shows promise as a neural marker for tracking visual working memory contents online.

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Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns
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Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 19, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns
09:42

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neurophysiology

Background:

  • Visual working memory (VWM) is crucial for temporarily storing visual information.
  • VWM has a limited capacity, typically holding 3-4 items.
  • Understanding VWM limitations and mechanisms is a key research area.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying visual information maintenance in working memory.
  • To explore the utility of event-related potentials (ERPs) in studying VWM.
  • To identify specific ERP components that correlate with VWM contents and capacity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of neurophysiological approaches, including single-cell recordings in primates.
  • Application of event-related potentials (ERPs) in human studies.
  • Focus on specific ERP components: negative slow wave (NSW) and contralateral delay activity (CDA).

Main Results:

  • Neuronal firing in primates reflects VWM content during retention.
  • The negative slow wave (NSW) has been used to measure online VWM maintenance.
  • Contralateral delay activity (CDA) emerges as a specific neural correlate of VWM contents and is sensitive to individual capacity.

Conclusions:

  • The contralateral delay activity (CDA) provides a valuable neural window into the operations of visual working memory.
  • CDA is a promising measure for assessing VWM capacity and online maintenance.
  • Further research using ERPs can elucidate the neural basis of VWM.