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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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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...
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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
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A working memory account for spatial-numerical associations.

Jean-Philippe van Dijck1, Wim Fias

  • 1Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. jeanphilippe.vandijck@ugent.be

Cognition
|January 26, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The brain spatially codes numbers based on their order, suggesting working memory, not just number meaning, creates the mental number line. This impacts how we understand numerical cognition.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Numerical Cognition

Background:

  • Psychophysical and neuropsychological studies suggest numbers are represented on a spatial mental number line.
  • A debate exists whether this spatial representation is automatic or constructed during task execution, likely involving working memory.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causal role of working memory in the spatial representation of numbers.
  • To determine if working memory contributes to the observed spatial-numerical associations.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that working memory is involved in spatial number coding.
  • Participants' working memory processes were manipulated or assessed during number-related tasks.

Main Results:

  • Information stored in working memory was found to be spatially coded based on its ordinal position.
  • Spatial-numerical associations in number categorization tasks were shown to rely on this working memory mechanism.

Conclusions:

  • Working memory plays a causal role in the spatial coding of numerical information.
  • The mental number line representation, particularly its spatial aspects, is significantly influenced by working memory processes.