The Flexible Nature of the Interaction Between Attention and Working Memory
In the research literature, attention and working memory are often intimately linked. In his excellent target article, Oberauer concludes that attention is not a necessary requirement for working memory maintenance. In our reply, we argue that attention is an emergent property of maintaining the cur...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Ubiquity Press
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Cognition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.journalofcognition.org/articles/68 |
| _version_ | 1828368959062147072 |
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| author | Stefan Van der Stigchel Christian N. L. Olivers |
| author_facet | Stefan Van der Stigchel Christian N. L. Olivers |
| author_sort | Stefan Van der Stigchel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the research literature, attention and working memory are often intimately linked. In his excellent target article, Oberauer concludes that attention is not a necessary requirement for working memory maintenance. In our reply, we argue that attention is an emergent property of maintaining the current task goal. Humans can flexibly transfer the storage of information between different states and different memory systems as the need arises. Only information in service of currently active task goals requires attentional resources for maintenance. In this state, memoranda can bias behavior and are susceptible to interference from additional attention demanding tasks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T06:17:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-26cf0d8c44224d6b8daa1493415b67db |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2514-4820 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T06:17:32Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Cognition |
| spelling | doaj.art-26cf0d8c44224d6b8daa1493415b67db2022-12-22T02:08:08ZengUbiquity PressJournal of Cognition2514-48202019-08-012110.5334/joc.6871The Flexible Nature of the Interaction Between Attention and Working MemoryStefan Van der Stigchel0Christian N. L. Olivers1Helmholtz Institute, Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, UtrechtDepartment of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, AmsterdamIn the research literature, attention and working memory are often intimately linked. In his excellent target article, Oberauer concludes that attention is not a necessary requirement for working memory maintenance. In our reply, we argue that attention is an emergent property of maintaining the current task goal. Humans can flexibly transfer the storage of information between different states and different memory systems as the need arises. Only information in service of currently active task goals requires attentional resources for maintenance. In this state, memoranda can bias behavior and are susceptible to interference from additional attention demanding tasks.https://www.journalofcognition.org/articles/68Working memoryAttentionAction |
| spellingShingle | Stefan Van der Stigchel Christian N. L. Olivers The Flexible Nature of the Interaction Between Attention and Working Memory Journal of Cognition Working memory Attention Action |
| title | The Flexible Nature of the Interaction Between Attention and Working Memory |
| title_full | The Flexible Nature of the Interaction Between Attention and Working Memory |
| title_fullStr | The Flexible Nature of the Interaction Between Attention and Working Memory |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Flexible Nature of the Interaction Between Attention and Working Memory |
| title_short | The Flexible Nature of the Interaction Between Attention and Working Memory |
| title_sort | flexible nature of the interaction between attention and working memory |
| topic | Working memory Attention Action |
| url | https://www.journalofcognition.org/articles/68 |
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