Short-term and Working Memory


Book Description

This special issue ponders a detailed and contemporary analysis of the theoretical underpinnings of short-term and working memory. Articles focus on short-term memory for phonological, semantic, and spatial material, on executive function and on short-term forgetting. The empirical perspectives include the neuroimaging of short-term memory, short-term memory development and the neuropsychology and neurobiology of memory, in addition to laboratory-based experimental studies. Together, these articles identify significant current models and approaches to short-term and working memory, providing a broad set of perspectives which illustrate the wide impact of working memory on the understanding of human cognition.




Short-term/working Memory


Book Description

This special issue of the International Journal of Psychology had its origins in the Quebec 98 Conference on Short-Term Memory, held in Quebec City, Canada, in June 1998. Following this conference, participants were invited to submit contributions based on, and expanding upon, their presentation at this conference. The enthusiastic response made it possible to collect the exciting selection of articles that you will find herein. It must be noted that because of the finite journal space available, the editors and reviewers were faced with the difficult problem of selecting only a limited number of the excellent articles that were submitted. The outcome of this process is this special issue, which we believe provides an up-to-date overview of current research on short-term/working memory, including the challenges, controversies, and recent theoretical advances in this field.




Working Memory Capacity


Book Description

The idea of one's memory "filling up" is a humorous misconception of how memory in general is thought to work; it actually has no capacity limit. However, the idea of a "full brain" makes more sense with reference to working memory, which is the limited amount of information a person can hold temporarily in an especially accessible form for use in the completion of almost any challenging cognitive task. This groundbreaking book explains the evidence supporting Cowan's theoretical proposal about working memory capacity, and compares it to competing perspectives. Cognitive psychologists profoundly disagree on how working memory is limited: whether by the number of units that can be retained (and, if so, what kind of units and how many), the types of interfering material, the time that has elapsed, some combination of these mechanisms, or none of them. The book assesses these hypotheses and examines explanations of why capacity limits occur, including vivid biological, cognitive, and evolutionary accounts. The book concludes with a discussion of the practical importance of capacity limits in daily life. This 10th anniversary Classic Edition will continue to be accessible to a wide range of readers and serve as an invaluable reference for all memory researchers.




Psychology of Learning and Motivation


Book Description

Psychology of Learning and Motivation publishes empirical and theoretical contributions in cognitive and experimental psychology, ranging from classical and instrumental conditioning to complex learning and problem solving. Each chapter thoughtfully integrates the writings of leading contributors, who present and discuss significant bodies of research relevant to their discipline. Volume 63 includes chapters on such varied topics as memory and imagery, statistical regularities, eyewitness lineups, embodied attention, the teleological choice rule, inductive reasoning, causal reasoning and cognitive and neural components of insight. Volume 63 of the highly regarded Psychology of Learning and Motivation series An essential reference for researchers and academics in cognitive science Relevant to both applied concerns and basic research




Working Memory and Learning


Book Description

Dr Tracy Alloway has been awarded the prestigious Joseph Lister Award from the British Science Association. ′The authors have written a guide for practitioners that is both highly practical, and yet based upon sound theoretical principles....This book achieves a successful, yet often elusive, link between theory, research and practice, and deserves to have a high readership. I will have no hesitation in recommending it to a range of readers′ - Jane Mott, Support for Learning ′This book fulfils its aim to explain working memory and the limits it places on children′s classroom learning. For teachers it gives a very clear guide and fills a gap in understanding that can only lead to more child-centred approaches to teaching and learning′ - Lynn Ambler, Support for Learning ′A clear and accessible account of current theory and research, which is then applied to children′s learning in the classroom....The range of strategies...are well grounded in theory derived from research and sit within a coherent conceptual model′ - The Psychologist ′An easy to read yet informative book that explains the concepts clearly and offers practitioners ways to support those with poor working memory in the classroom′ - SNIP `The topic of working memory nowadays tends to dominate discussions with teachers and parents, and both groups can helpfully be directed to this easy-to-read but serious text ... (it) is likely to prove a turning-point in the management and facilitation of hard-to-teach children. In a situation muddied by ever-multiplying syndromes and disorders, this book delivers a clarifying and reassuring isolation of the major cognitive characteristic that cuts across all the boundaries and leaves the class teacher and SENCO empowered. I think very highly of the book and shall be recommending it steadily′ - Martin Turner, Child Center for Evaluation and Teaching, Kuwait Susan Gathercole is winner of the British Psychological Society′s President′s Award for 2007 A good working memory is crucial to becoming a successful learner, yet there is very little material available in an easy-to-use format that explains the concept and offers practitioners ways to support children with poor working memory in the classroom. This book provides a coherent overview of the role played by working memory in learning during the school years, and uses theory to inform good practice. Topics covered include: - the link between working memory skills and key areas of learning (such as literacy & numeracy) - the relationship between working memory and children with developmental disorders - assessment of children for working memory deficits - strategies for supporting working memory in under-performing children This accessible guide will help SENCOs, teachers, teaching assistants, speech and language therapists and educational psychologists to understand and address working memory in their setting.




Neuropsychological Impairments of Short-Term Memory


Book Description

This work summarizes the current state of empirical and theoretical work on impairments of short-term memory (often caused by damage in the left cerebral hemisphere) and contains chapters from virtually every scientist in Europe and North America working on the problem. The chapters present evidence from both normal and brain-damaged patients, providing a comprehensive view of the functional characteristics of auditory-verbal short-term memory and its neurobiological correlates. Two neuropsychological issues are discussed in detail: the specific patterns of immediate memory impairment resulting from brain damage, with reference to both multi-store and the interactive-activation theoretical frameworks, and the relation between verbal STM and sentence comprehension disorders in patients with a defective immediate auditory memory, an area of major controversy in recent years.




Processing of Visible Language


Book Description

The second symposium on processing visible language constituted a different "mix" of participants from the first. Greater emphasis was given to the design of language, both in its historical development and in its current display; and to practical questions associated with machine-implementation oflanguage, in the interactions of person and computer, and in the characteristics of the physical and environmental objects that affect the interaction. Another change was that a special session on theory capped the proceedings. Psychologists remained heavily involved, however, both as contributors to and as discussants of the work pre sented. The motivation of the conferences remains one of bringing together graphic designers, engineers, and psychologists concerned with the display and acquisition of visible language. The papers separately tended to emphasize the one of the three disciplines that mark their authors' field of endeavor, but are constructed to be general rather than parochial. Moreover, within the three disciplines, papers emphasized either the textual or the more pictorial aspects. For example, a session on writing systems ranged from principles that seem to characterize all such systems to specific papers on ancient Egyptian writing, modern Korean, and English shorthand. The complementary session on the nontextual media opened with a discussion of general principles of pictorial communication and included papers on communicating instructions, general information, or religious belief through designs and other pictorial forms, as well as a discussion. of misrepresentation.




Become a SuperLearner


Book Description

Develop the Skills to Learn Anything Faster, Easier, and More Effectively Written by the creators of the #1 bestselling course of the same name, this book will teach you how to "hack" your learning, reading, and memory skills, empowering you to learn everything faster and more effectively. What Would You Do If You Could Learn Anything 3 Times Faster?In our rapidly changing and information-driven society, the ability to learn quickly is the single most important skill. Whether you're a student, a professional, or simply embarking on a new hobby, you are forced to grapple with an every-increasing amount of information and knowledge. We've all experienced the frustration of an ever-growing reading list, struggling to learn a new language, or forgetting things you learned in even your favorite subjects. This Book Will Teach You 3 Major Skills:Speed reading with high (80%+) comprehension and understandingMemory techniques for storing and recalling vast amounts of information quickly and accuratelyDeveloping the cognitive infrastructure to support this flood of new information long-termHowever, the SuperLearning skills you'll learn in this course are applicable to many aspects of your every day life, from remembering phone numbers to acquiring new skills or even speaking new languages. Anyone Can Develop Super-Learning SkillsThis course is about improving your ability to learn new skills or information quickly and effectively. We go far beyond the kinds of "speed reading" (or glorified skimming) you may have been exposed to, diving into the actual cognitive and neurological factors that make learning easier and more successful. We also give you advanced memory techniques to grapple with the huge loads of information you'll soon be able to process. "This book should be the go-to reference for anyone looking to upgrade their mind's firmware!" -Benny Lewis, Language Learning Expert Learn How to Absorb and Retain Information in a Whole New Way - A Faster, Better Way The Authors' Proprietary Method for Teaching Speed Reading & Memory Improvement You may have even taken a normal speed reading course in the past, only to realize that you didn't retain anything you read. The sad irony is that in order to properly learn things like speed reading skills and memory techniques in the past, you had to read dozens of books and psychological journals to decode the science behind it. Or, you had to hire an expensive private tutor who specializes in SuperLearning. That's what I did. And it changed my life. Fortunately, my co-authors (experts and innovators in the fields of superlearning, memory improvement, and speed reading) agreed to help me transform their materials into the first ever digital course. Over 25,000 satisfied students later, we have transformed our course into a book you can enjoy anywhere. Our teaching methodology relies heavily on at-home exercises. The chapters themselves are only part of what you're buying. You will be practicing various exercises and assignments on a regular basis over the course a 7 week schedule. In addition to the lectures, there are hours of supplemental video and articles which are considered part of the curriculum. "This vital book contains all the tools needed to learn, memorize, and reproduce anything you want with the joy that ease brings. Don't take another class until you've read it!" -Dr. Anthony Metivier, Author & Memory Expert If you wish to improve memory and concentration, learn more effectively, read faster, and learn the techniques of memory champions - look no further! An awesome read that will push the limits of your brain. Levi does an incredible job of guiding you through, to bring your brain from average to UNSTOPPABLE!" -Nelson Dellis, 4-Time USA Memory Champion




Interactions Between Short-Term and Long-Term Memory in the Verbal Domain


Book Description

The relationship between short-term and long-term memory systems is an issue of central concern to memory theorists. The association between temporary memory mechanisms and established knowledge bases is now regarded as critical to the development of theoretical and computational accounts of verbal short-term memory functioning. However, to date there is no single publication that provides dedicated and full coverage of current understanding of the association between short-term and long-term memory systems. Interactions between Short-Term and Long-Term Memory in the Verbal Domain is the first volume to comprehensively address this key issue. The book, focusing specifically on memory for verbal information, comprises chapters covering current theoretical approaches, together with the very latest experimental work, from leading researchers in the field. Chapters contributed to the book draw on both cognitive and neuropsychological research and reflect both conceptual and computational approaches to theorising. The contributing authors represent current research perspectives from both sides of the Atlantic. By addressing this important topic head-on, Interactions between Short-Term and Long-Term Memory in the Verbal Domain represents an invaluable resource for academics and students alike.




In the Light of Evolution


Book Description

Humans possess certain unique mental traits. Self-reflection, as well as ethic and aesthetic values, is among them, constituting an essential part of what we call the human condition. The human mental machinery led our species to have a self-awareness but, at the same time, a sense of justice, willing to punish unfair actions even if the consequences of such outrages harm our own interests. Also, we appreciate searching for novelties, listening to music, viewing beautiful pictures, or living in well-designed houses. But why is this so? What is the meaning of our tendency, among other particularities, to defend and share values, to evaluate the rectitude of our actions and the beauty of our surroundings? What brain mechanisms correlate with the human capacity to maintain inner speech, or to carry out judgments of value? To what extent are they different from other primates' equivalent behaviors? In the Light of Evolution Volume VII aims to survey what has been learned about the human "mental machinery." This book is a collection of colloquium papers from the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium "The Human Mental Machinery," which was sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences on January 11-12, 2013. The colloquium brought together leading scientists who have worked on brain and mental traits. Their 16 contributions focus the objective of better understanding human brain processes, their evolution, and their eventual shared mechanisms with other animals. The articles are grouped into three primary sections: current study of the mind-brain relationships; the primate evolutionary continuity; and the human difference: from ethics to aesthetics. This book offers fresh perspectives coming from interdisciplinary approaches that open new research fields and constitute the state of the art in some important aspects of the mind-brain relationships.