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Working Memory

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 6, 2026

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

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

Published on: July 16, 2015

Distractor frequency influences performance in vibrotactile working memory.

Tyler Bancroft¹, Philip Servos

¹Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5, Canada.

Experimental Brain Research

|December 7, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Distractor stimuli interfere with working memory by overwriting stored information. Closer distractor frequencies to probe stimuli increase errors, supporting the feature-overwriting model of working memory interference.

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Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

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

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

Published on: July 16, 2015

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Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Working memory is crucial for cognitive tasks.
Interference is a key factor affecting working memory performance.
Feature overwriting is a proposed mechanism for working memory interference.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of distractor stimuli on working memory.
To test the feature-overwriting hypothesis of working memory interference.

Main Methods:

Utilized a vibrotactile-delayed match-to-sample paradigm.
Presented participants with target, distractor, and probe vibrotactile stimuli.
Manipulated distractor stimulus frequency relative to target and probe stimuli.

Main Results:

Distractor frequency significantly affected task performance.
Increased errors in same/different judgments occurred when distractor frequency was closer to the probe than the target.
Results support the feature-overwriting explanation for working memory interference.

Conclusions:

Distractor stimuli can degrade stored representations in working memory.
The proximity of distractor frequency to probe frequency influences the degree of interference.
Findings provide empirical support for the feature-overwriting model.