Working Memory
Since the first theoretical model for working memory was published by Alan Baddeley and G. Hitch in 1974 to explain cognitive functions there has been increasing interest in the concept of working memory. In brief, working memory helps us track where we are, and what we are doing in the present. It allows us to make a decision, send an email or recall an address we have just heard.
Working memory is active and broader than short term memory. As Robert H. Logie says in his article, State of the Art: Working Memory (1999), “The contents of working memory can be combined with stored knowledge and manipulated, interpreted and recombined to develop new knowledge, assist learning, form goals, and support interaction with the physical world”.
When we perceive something we activate stored knowledge that is then sent to, and stored and manipulated in working memory. The working memory characteristics of mental manipulation and development of new knowledge are very important for creative thinking and are now frequently described as mental discovery. (Roskos-Ewoldsen et al. 1993). Mental discovery means that we can “see” things in a different context and create something new. Mental discoveries appear to be a basic characteristic of normal human mental functioning.
Working memory is involved at some level in most human activities. For anyone interested in developing their thinking capability and creativity the understanding and application of working memory can be an important starting point.
|
