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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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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

Task interruptions impair visuospatial working memory: Behavioral and EEG evidence for feature-specific cognitive

Soner Ülkü1, Ceren Arslan1, Stephan Getzmann1

  • 1Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Ergonomics Department, Information Processing Research Group & Aging Networking Group, Dortmund, Germany.

Brain Research
|May 31, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Task interruptions impair working memory (WM). Visuospatial interruptions caused the most significant decline, especially when features overlapped with the primary task. This highlights feature overlap

Keywords:
Attentional controlEEGInterferencesNeural oscillationsTask interruptionsWorking memory

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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
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A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Working memory (WM) is susceptible to disruptions from task interruptions.
  • Understanding how interruption modality and cognitive domain impact WM is crucial.
  • Previous research indicates attentional shifts negatively affect memory recall.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of interruption modality and cognitive domain on visuospatial working memory performance.
  • To identify specific characteristics of interruptions that lead to greater working memory interference.
  • To explore the neural correlates of working memory disruption using EEG.

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed a visuospatial working memory task involving memorizing colored bar orientations.
  • Interruptions during memory maintenance included visual arithmetic, auditory arithmetic, and visuospatial discrimination tasks.
  • Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record brain activity during the task.

Main Results:

  • All interruption types generally impaired working memory performance.
  • Visuospatial discrimination interruptions, featuring sensory overlap, caused the most significant performance decline.
  • EEG data revealed reduced theta activity and altered alpha/beta suppression post-interruption, with visuospatial interruptions showing increased posterior alpha asymmetry.

Conclusions:

  • The degree of feature overlap between primary and interrupting tasks critically determines working memory interference.
  • Visuospatial interruptions pose a greater threat to working memory due to shared sensory features.
  • Neural evidence suggests interruptions disrupt memory maintenance and require significant attentional resources for reorientation.