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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 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

Working Memory Facilitates Event Segmentation Via Boundary-triggered Reactivation and Partial Accumulation during

Berna Güler¹, Sümeyye Karahamza¹, Yağmur D Şentürk¹

¹Sabancı University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

|May 29, 2026

Summary

Working memory (WM) aids event segmentation by reactivating memories at event transitions, rather than continuously accumulating information within events. This study clarifies WM's role in how we process continuous experiences.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology
Neuroimaging

Background:

Event segmentation divides continuous experiences into meaningful units.
Working memory (WM) is crucial for event segmentation, but its precise role is debated.
Understanding WM's contribution is key to explaining cognitive processing of sequential information.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether working memory (WM) representations accumulate information within events or are reactivated at event boundaries.
To differentiate between the accumulation and reactivation accounts of WM's role in event segmentation.
To utilize electroencephalography (EEG) to examine WM load during event segmentation.

Main Methods:

Participants viewed sequences of object images and sounds, experiencing stable events followed by event boundaries.
Electroencephalography (EEG) measured alpha-band suppression and contralateral delay activity as indices of WM load.
Temporal order and sequential memory tasks assessed participants' event segmentation abilities.

Main Results:

Increased alpha-band suppression after event transitions supported the boundary-triggered reactivation hypothesis.
Evidence for within-event information accumulation was mixed: no alpha-band suppression increase, but moderate contralateral delay activity increase.
WM load did not consistently increase during stable events, suggesting limited information accumulation.

Conclusions:

Working memory primarily contributes to event segmentation through boundary-triggered reactivation.
There is limited evidence for continuous information accumulation within events by working memory.
These findings refine our understanding of how the brain segments experiences and utilizes working memory.