Many scientists are trying to explain how memory works in everyday life. One of the results of this work is the working memory model.
Working memory processes the information we are currently working with and need to store temporarily. Part of it is short-term memory, which uses information only for a short time. For example, when you need to remember a phone number or a list of items you want to buy. It also stores information coming from our sensory systems (such as sight and hearing). Working memory also uses data that we retrieve from long-term memory. It acts as a bridge between short-term and long-term memory. We use it when we need to store information and manipulate it at the same time. For example, when we’re trying to calculate 16 × 3. It is a system for temporarily holding and manipulating information, which aids in performing complex cognitive tasks. It is the area of the human mind where mental activity is currently taking place.
According to Alan Baddley, the author of this model, working memory consists of three components. One component ensures the coordination of attention and the transfer of information from long-term memory to short-term memory and vice versa. He calls it the central executive, precisely because of its executive function. Furthermore, Baddley noted that there must be a structure in which we store visual and verbal representations. We mentally manipulate visual images using an visuospatial sketchpad and verbal content (such as a shopping list) using a phonological loop.
Working memory is already a complex structure that requires manipulation. If you don’t enjoy calculating large numbers from memory or trying to say a word backward (city – o-city), you can train it using various cognitive games.
In life, we forget far more things than we would like to remember.
– Lech Przeczek
