Memory limits: “Give us an answer!”

2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-151
Author(s):  
John N. Towse
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory

Cowan has written a meticulous and thought-provoking review of the literature on short-term memory. However, reflections on one area of evidence, that of working memory span, shows the extent to which the research debate can be circumscribed by choice of experimental paradigms.

Distinction between Visuo-Spatial Short-Term-Memory and Working Memory Span Tasks

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Lecerf ◽  
Jean-Luc Roulin
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Spatial Span ◽  
Span Test ◽  
Span Tasks

Six experiments are presented that examined the constraints underlying performance in two visuo-spatial span tasks. In the Location Span Test (LST), participants have to memorize the cells of a 5×5 matrix containing arrows, while in the Direction Span Test (DST) they have to memorize the cells pointed at by arrows. The main objective was to assess whether both tasks were similarly influenced by experimental factors. Results showed that performance improved with longer encoding time (1-s. vs. 3-s) only for the DST. Maintenance interval (0-s vs. 5-s) and order of item difficulty (ascending vs. descending) have no effect either on the LST or on the DST. Another experiment indicated that the DST is a better predictor of fluid intelligence. These results seem to provide evidence that the LST and the DST relate to different constructs. Implications of these findings for the distinction between short-term and working memory span tasks are discussed.

The Hard Fall Effect

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémylle Thomassin ◽  
Corentin Gonthier ◽  
Michel Guerraz ◽  
Jean-Luc Roulin
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Better Than

Participants with a high working memory span tend to perform better than low spans in a variety of tasks. However, their performance is paradoxically more impaired when they have to perform two tasks at once, a phenomenon that could be labeled the “hard fall effect.” The present study tested whether this effect exists in a short-term memory task, and investigated the proposal that the effect is due to high spans using efficient facilitative strategies under simple task conditions. Ninety-eight participants performed a spatial short-term memory task under simple and dual task conditions; stimuli presentation times either allowed for the use of complex facilitative strategies or not. High spans outperformed low spans only under simple task conditions when presentation times allowed for the use of facilitative strategies. These results indicate that the hard fall effect exists on a short-term memory task and may be caused by individual differences in strategy use.

Working Memory and Reading: A Life-span Perspective

1994 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda S. Siegel
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Rehearsal Strategies

The relationships among working memory, memory span, and reading skills were studied in 1266 individuals, aged 6-49. They were administered tests of word recognition, pseudoword decoding, reading comprehension, a working memory (listening span) task that required the simultaneous processing of syntax and the recall of linguistic information, and a short-term memory task that required the recall of rhyming or nonrhyming letters presented visually. The results indicated that there is a gradual growth in the development of working memory skills from ages 6 to 19 and a gradual decline after adolescence. The short-term memory task did not show a decline in performance among older individuals. On both of these memory tasks and at most of the age levels, individuals with a reading disability performed at significantly lower levels than individuals with normal reading skills. An important component of the development of reading skills appears to be memory for verbal information. Age-related declines in memory appear to be related to the processing demands of the task, which may affect the degree to which rehearsal strategies are possible within the task.

Conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) supports core claims of Christiansen and Chater

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary C. Potter
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Rapid Serial Visual Presentation ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Use Of Knowledge

AbstractRapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of words or pictured scenes provides evidence for a large-capacity conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) that momentarily provides rich associated material from long-term memory, permitting rapid chunking (Potter 1993; 2009; 2012). In perception of scenes as well as language comprehension, we make use of knowledge that briefly exceeds the supposed limits of working memory.

Working, Declarative, and Procedural Memory in Children With Developmental Language Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 4162-4178
Author(s):  
Emily Jackson ◽  
Suze Leitão ◽  
Mary Claessen ◽  
Mark Boyes
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Memory Systems ◽  
Procedural Memory ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Visual Spatial

Purpose Previous research into the working, declarative, and procedural memory systems in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) has yielded inconsistent results. The purpose of this research was to profile these memory systems in children with DLD and their typically developing peers. Method One hundred four 5- to 8-year-old children participated in the study. Fifty had DLD, and 54 were typically developing. Aspects of the working memory system (verbal short-term memory, verbal working memory, and visual–spatial short-term memory) were assessed using a nonword repetition test and subtests from the Working Memory Test Battery for Children. Verbal and visual–spatial declarative memory were measured using the Children's Memory Scale, and an audiovisual serial reaction time task was used to evaluate procedural memory. Results The children with DLD demonstrated significant impairments in verbal short-term and working memory, visual–spatial short-term memory, verbal declarative memory, and procedural memory. However, verbal declarative memory and procedural memory were no longer impaired after controlling for working memory and nonverbal IQ. Declarative memory for visual–spatial information was unimpaired. Conclusions These findings indicate that children with DLD have deficits in the working memory system. While verbal declarative memory and procedural memory also appear to be impaired, these deficits could largely be accounted for by working memory skills. The results have implications for our understanding of the cognitive processes underlying language impairment in the DLD population; however, further investigation of the relationships between the memory systems is required using tasks that measure learning over long-term intervals. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13250180

The constructs of short-term memory and working memory

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall W. Engle ◽  
Stephen Tuholski ◽  
James Laughlin ◽  
Andrew Conway
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory

The capacity of short term memory from an evolutionary perspective

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Manoochehri
Keyword(s):  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Cognitive System ◽  
Evolutionary Approach ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory

Memory span in humans has been intensely studied for more than a century. In spite of the critical role of memory span in our cognitive system, which intensifies the importance of fundamental determinants of its evolution, few studies have investigated it by taking an evolutionary approach. Overall, we know hardly anything about the evolution of memory components. In the present study, I briefly review the experimental studies of memory span in humans and non-human animals and shortly discuss some of the relevant evolutionary hypotheses.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Working Memory Training in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J Hardy ◽  
Sarah E Bills ◽  
Emily R Meier ◽  
Jeffrey C Schatz ◽  
Katie J Keridan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Math Fluency ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Abstract Objective Youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurocognitive deficits including problems with working memory (WM), but few interventions to improve functioning exist. This study sought to determine the feasibility and efficacy of home-based, digital WM training on short-term memory and WM, behavioral outcomes, and academic fluency using a parallel group randomized controlled trial design. Methods 47 children (7–16 years) with SCD and short-term memory or WM difficulties were randomized to Cogmed Working Memory Training at home on a tablet device (N = 24) or to a standard care Waitlist group (N = 23) that used Cogmed after the waiting period. Primary outcomes assessed in clinic included performance on verbal and nonverbal short-term memory and WM tasks. Secondary outcomes included parent-rated executive functioning and tests of math and reading fluency. Results In the evaluable sample, the Cogmed group (N = 21) showed greater improvement in visual WM compared with the Waitlist group (N = 22; p = .03, d = 0.70 [CI95 = 0.08, 1.31]). When examining a combined sample of participants, those who completed ≥10 training sessions exhibited significant improvements in verbal short-term memory, visual WM, and math fluency. Adherence to Cogmed was lower than expected (M = 9.07 sessions, SD = 7.77), with 19 participants (41%) completing at least 10 sessions. Conclusions: Visual WM, an ability commonly affected by SCD, is modifiable with cognitive training. Benefits extended to verbal short-term memory and math fluency when patients completed a sufficient training dose. Additional research is needed to identify ideal candidates for training and determine whether training gains are sustainable and generalize to real-world outcomes.

scholarly journals Brain hemodynamic response in Examiner–Examinee dyads during spatial short-term memory task: an fNIRS study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Panico ◽  
Stefania De Marco ◽  
Laura Sagliano ◽  
Francesca D’Olimpio ◽  
Dario Grossi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
The Real

AbstractThe Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT) is a measure of spatial working memory (WM) in clinical practice, requiring an examinee to reproduce sequences of cubes tapped by an examiner. CBT implies complementary behaviors in the examiners and the examinees, as they have to attend a precise turn taking. Previous studies demonstrated that the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is activated during CBT, but scarce evidence is available on the neural correlates of CBT in the real setting. We assessed PFC activity in dyads of examiner–examinee participants while completing the real version of CBT, during conditions of increasing and exceeding workload. This procedure allowed to investigate whether brain activity in the dyads is coordinated. Results in the examinees showed that PFC activity was higher when the workload approached or reached participants’ spatial WM span, and lower during workload conditions that were largely below or above their span. Interestingly, findings in the examiners paralleled the ones in the examinees, as examiners’ brain activity increased and decreased in a similar way as the examinees’ one. In the examiners, higher left-hemisphere activity was observed suggesting the likely activation of non-spatial WM processes. Data support a bell-shaped relationship between cognitive load and brain activity, and provide original insights on the cognitive processes activated in the examiner during CBT.

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