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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.
Encoding01:19

Encoding

Information enters the brain through encoding, which is the input of information into the memory system. Once sensory information is received from the environment, the brain labels or codes it. The information is then organized with similar information and connected to existing concepts. Encoding occurs through automatic processing and effortful processing.
Automatic processing involves the encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words, usually done without conscious...
Storage01:23

Storage

A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze each...
Sensory Memory01:14

Sensory Memory

Sensory memory captures information from the environment in its original form for a very brief duration, just long enough to be exposed to visual, auditory, and other senses. This type of memory is detailed and rich but quickly lost unless certain strategies are employed to transfer it into short-term or long-term memory. Sensory information is continuously bombarding the human brain, yet only a small fraction is absorbed, as most of it does not significantly impact daily life. For instance,...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

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...
System of Memory01:23

System of Memory

Memory is categorized into three major systems: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). These systems differ in their capacity and the duration for which they can hold information. Sensory memory captures raw sensory input from the environment, holding it for just a few seconds or less. For example, on hearing a brief, loud sound, like a car horn honking, the sound seems to linger in the mind for a moment even after it stops. This is an instance of sensory memory...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 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

Working memory templates are maintained as feature-specific perceptual codes.

Kartik K Sreenivasan1, Deepak Sambhara, Amishi P Jha

  • 1Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. ksreenivasan@berkeley.edu

Journal of Neurophysiology
|April 23, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Working memory templates bias sensory neuron activity. This bias reflects visual similarity between stored and presented items, supporting neural template models.

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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

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Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
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Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 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

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
09:05

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

Published on: June 12, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Working memory (WM) templates guide behavior, but their neural underpinnings are not fully understood.
  • It is hypothesized that WM templates involve biasing sensory neuron activity related to memory item features.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural basis of working memory templates.
  • To test if working memory maintenance involves preferential weighting of sensory neuron activity corresponding to memory item features.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) while participants performed a WM task with faces.
  • Manipulated visual similarity between target faces held in WM and probe faces presented.
  • Analyzed face-sensitive ERP responses in relation to target-probe visual similarity.

Main Results:

  • A face-sensitive ERP response amplitude was modulated by the visual similarity between target and probe faces.
  • ERP amplitude was highest for probes highly similar to the target and decreased as similarity reduced.
  • This modulation suggests preferential neural weighting of features within the active WM representation.

Conclusions:

  • Working memory templates are supported by biased activity in sensory neurons.
  • Neural activity is weighted to favor visual features of actively maintained memory representations.
  • Findings support models where WM templates utilize neural populations involved in perception.