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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: Jun 23, 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

The effect of non-visual working memory load on top-down modulation of visual processing.

Jesse Rissman1, Adam Gazzaley, Mark D'Esposito

  • 1Henry H. Wheeler Jr. Brain Imaging Center, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, USA. jesse.rissman@stanford.edu

Neuropsychologia
|April 29, 2009
PubMed
Summary

High working memory (WM) load impairs the ability to ignore distracting visual stimuli. This failure to filter irrelevant information under cognitive load mirrors age-related deficits in distractor suppression.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 23, 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

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Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Working memory (WM) is crucial for maintaining relevant information and ignoring distractions.
  • Top-down attentional control modulates neural processing of both relevant and irrelevant stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how domain-general WM resources influence attentional modulation of visual representations.
  • To examine the impact of high WM load on filtering task-irrelevant stimuli.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed in a dual-task paradigm.
  • Participants performed a visual WM task (encoding and maintaining images) while concurrently performing a digit memory task with either high or low load.
  • Neural activity in scene-selective regions was analyzed during encoding and maintenance phases.

Main Results:

  • High WM load led to impaired visual WM performance and a failure to suppress neural processing of irrelevant scene distractors.
  • Elevated activity in scene-selective regions for distractors under high load, suggesting over-processing.
  • WM load did not impair the ability to enhance task-relevant scene representations.

Conclusions:

  • Domain-general WM resources are critical for regulating distractor processing in a goal-directed manner.
  • Increased WM load in young adults mimics age-related deficits in distractor filtering, suggesting shared mechanisms.
  • Effective distractor filtering relies on sufficient WM capacity.