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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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Cognitive Learning

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The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
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Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
Long-Term Memory01:18

Long-Term Memory

Long-term memory is a relatively permanent type of memory, capable of storing vast amounts of information over extended periods. Its storage capacity is generally considered unlimited.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
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An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

Do young chimpanzees have extraordinary working memory?

Peter Cook1, Margaret Wilson

  • 1Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. pcook@ucsc.edu

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|August 13, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Chimpanzees do not possess superior spatial working memory compared to humans. With adequate practice, humans significantly outperformed a chimpanzee on memory tasks, refuting claims of extraordinary primate memory abilities.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Primate Behavior
  • Comparative Cognition

Background:

  • Previous research suggested chimpanzees exhibit superior spatial working memory compared to humans.
  • A juvenile chimpanzee reportedly outperformed university students on a digit memory task.
  • This performance was previously described as extraordinary, potentially indicating eidetic memory in chimpanzees.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether chimpanzees possess a superior or qualitatively different spatial working memory system than humans.
  • To re-evaluate the initial findings by controlling for practice effects.
  • To compare human and chimpanzee performance on spatial working memory tasks under standardized conditions.

Main Methods:

  • A spatial working memory task involving briefly displayed digits in an array was used.
  • Human participants (university students) received adequate practice on the task.
  • Performance of practiced human participants was compared to that of a juvenile chimpanzee.

Main Results:

  • After adequate practice, two university students substantially outperformed the chimpanzee on the spatial working memory task.
  • The initial findings of superior chimpanzee memory were attributed to extensive practice given to the chimpanzee but not to the human subjects.
  • No evidence was found to support a superior or qualitatively different spatial memory system in chimpanzees.

Conclusions:

  • Chimpanzees do not demonstrate superior spatial working memory compared to humans when practice effects are controlled.
  • The apparent extraordinary memory abilities in chimpanzees in prior studies were likely due to task-specific training.
  • Human spatial working memory capabilities are comparable to, and can surpass, those of chimpanzees under appropriate training conditions.