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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.

Long-Term Memory

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.
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...

Storage

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...

Interference and Decay

Interference and Decay

Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...

Autobiographical Memory

Autobiographical Memory

Autobiographical memory is a unique type of episodic memory that involves recollecting personal life experiences. It allows individuals to remember significant events from their past, creating a narrative of their lives. One interesting phenomenon related to autobiographical memory is the reminiscence bump. This effect refers to the tendency of adults to recall more events from their second and third decades of life — typically between ages 10 to 30 — than from other periods. This period is...

System of Memory

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: May 30, 2026

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

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

Published on: June 12, 2017

Variation in working memory capacity and temporal-contextual retrieval from episodic memory.

Gregory J Spillers¹, Nash Unsworth

¹Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA. gregorys@uoregon.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition

|August 10, 2011

Summary

Individuals with lower working memory capacity struggle to effectively retrieve information from long-term memory. This deficit stems from an inability to use retrieval outcomes to guide further memory searches.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 30, 2026

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

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

Published on: June 12, 2017

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

Published on: May 16, 2017

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Memory Research

Background:

Working memory capacity influences higher-order cognitive tasks.
A key component is strategic, cue-dependent long-term memory search.
Underlying processes of this search remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate individual differences in episodic memory retrieval.
Examine specific retrieval process components.
Relate retrieval efficiency to working memory capacity.

Main Methods:

Comparison of high- and low-working memory capacity participants.
Analysis of recall initiation strategies.
Examination of conditional-response probabilities during retrieval.

Main Results:

Recall initiation was similar between high- and low-capacity groups.
Low-capacity participants lacked typical asymmetry in conditional-response probabilities.
Retrieval deficits in low-capacity individuals were linked to search guidance.

Conclusions:

Working memory capacity impacts strategic memory retrieval.
Low capacity is associated with impaired use of retrieval products for search.
Understanding these deficits offers insight into memory function.