Working Memory

 

Working memory is the very temporary part of our memory that we use when we are actively thinking about something. Our working memory can hold only a small amount of information at once. Our brains use that information and quickly dump it from working memory so that we can focus on new incoming information and ideas. We are excellent at forgetting things because this helps our brains to avoid getting cluttered with meaningless information.

Example: If you are driving on Monday and see a red light ahead, you notice the light and hold it in your working memory so that as you drive up to the intersection, you stop the car. You don't need to remember in the future that there was a red light at this intersection. 

We need to use active learning strategies to get something from working memory (temporary memory) into our short- or long-term memory. We do this by actively thinking about it and working to connect the new information to existing knowledge in our brains. 

Working memory can hold only a small amount of information. 

Example: If you need to remember a list of items to buy at the market, you may try to hold 4 items in your working memory as you go into the store. If a friend asks you what 4 items you bought at the store a week or two later, most likely you will have forgotten because your didn't actively work to remember those 4 items and put them into our long-term memory. 

 

Watch this 7:48 minute video on working memory and study strategies Links to an external site. for moving things from working memory to long-term memory. 

 

Working Memory Deficits

A working memory deficit means that a person has difficulty holding information in their mind, paying attention to it and doing something with it. The person may have a smaller capacity for the amount of information they can hold in their working memory and this may be a lifelong issue. Or, they may have a lot of other information they are holding in their working memory and so the space is occupied and this limits their ability to use it for new thinking and problem solving. It is important when doing getting an evaluation to assess working memory problems that an effort be made to figure out if the problem is: 1) A working memory deficit (permanent smaller capacity related to an LD), or 2) There is sufficient working memory but the space is being used by other thinking, emotions, and problem solving. 

Some things that can occupy space in working memory and leave less available for studying and learning:

• Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues
• History of trauma or PTSD 
• Current life stress
• Lack of sleep
• Attention and distraction issues, such as ADHD
• Physical pain

 

Accommodations for Working Memory challenges:

• Notetaking assistance, such as a digital notetaking app, a smart pen, or a student notetaker
• More time on tests to allow students time to write everything down or solve problems step-by-step
• Reduced distraction enviornment for tests, such as the Proctoring Center

 

Some strategies that can help to improve working memory are:

Chunking

• Chunking can help us to hold more information in working memory.
• Chunking breaks ideas and information into meaningful groupings.
• Chunking: Learning Technique for Better Memory Links to an external site. by Sprouts. 3:32. 
• Chunking Reading for Recall Links to an external site. by Purdue University. 

 

Using a multi-sensory approach

•  Use all of your senses to study the information. This helps you to make different connections to your long-term memory. It also establishes multiple pathways to find the information later when you want to remember it. 
• A multi-sensory approach to flash cards: Write them out by hand (touch). Use colors to categorize information and memorable drawings (vision). Read the questions out loud and speak your answers out loud so that you can hear yourself (vision, kinesthetic, auditory). 

 

Using acronyms

• Acronyms can be used to remember one word that triggers your memory of detailed information. 
• Some examples can be found on StudySkills.com Links to an external site.

 

Using Pictures 

• Drawing a picture of complex relationships between ideas can help you to easily remember
• Using silly images can also help you to remember information because it stands out (and makes studying more fun!)

Using Songs

• You make up silly songs to connect ideas. 
• You can also use the first letter of each word of a song to stand for something you need to remember in order.