Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
Published on: October 2, 2019
Does working memory consolidation rely on central processing?
Brandon J Carlos1,2, Lindsay A Santacroce3, Benjamin J Tamber-Rosenau3
1Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA. brandon.carlos@bsu.edu.
None:
Working memory (WM) consolidation is the preservation of perceptual information to insulate it from distraction. A decision task following WM sample presentation retroactively disrupts consolidation, apparently regardless of whether the WM sample and decision task rely on the same representational formats. Critically, this representational-format-general interference suggests that consolidation entails "central" executive domain-general processing. However, the evidence for central interference is weak because verbal recoding of nonverbal samples is thought to be ubiquitous in WM. Typical decision tasks used to evoke interference also entail verbal materials, making it possible that the observed interference is really a product of competition for "peripheral" phonological storage resources. Moreover, some WM models suggest a direct connection between perceptual mechanisms and storage, without direct access of central processes to format-specific storage. Thus, it remains unknown whether WM consolidation entails central executive processing or could have a purely storage-buffer (verbal) locus. The current study embedded an established task to measure WM consolidation and its interruption by a decision task within a further within-participants 2 × 2 factorial design, using different WM sample and decision task representational format pairings in each task block. This allowed measurement of central processing contributions to consolidation (cross-format blocks), and evaluation of potential additional interference in format-specific storage buffers (same-format blocks). Interference in cross-format pairings did not increase for same-format pairings, supporting the view that WM consolidation is dependent on central processing. Subject-level data have been made publicly available on the Open Science Framework and can be accessed at the following link: https://osf.io/p387u/ .
More Related Videos
08:08Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory
Published on: June 18, 2014
07:01Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Working Memory
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
Long-Term Memory
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
Elaborative Rehearsals
The effectiveness of...