Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition
Why can your brain store a lifetime of experiences but process only a few thoughts at once? In this article we discuss “cognitive capacity” (the number of items that can be held “in mind” simultaneously) and suggest that the limit is inherent to processing based on oscillatory brain rhythms, or “bra...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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MIT Press
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/96358 |
| _version_ | 1811069487728820224 |
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| author | Miller, Earl K. Buschman, Tim |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Miller, Earl K. Buschman, Tim |
| author_sort | Miller, Earl K. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Why can your brain store a lifetime of experiences but process only a few thoughts at once? In this article we discuss “cognitive capacity” (the number of items that can be held “in mind” simultaneously) and suggest that the limit is inherent to processing based on oscillatory brain rhythms, or “brain waves,” which may regulate neural communication. Neurons that “hum” together temporarily “wire” together, allowing the brain to form and re-form networks on the fly, which may explain a hallmark of intelligence and cognition: mental flexibility. But this comes at a cost; only a small number of thoughts can fit into each wave. This explains why you should never talk on a mobile phone when driving. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:11:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/96358 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:11:14Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | MIT Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/963582022-09-30T08:08:59Z Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition Miller, Earl K. Buschman, Tim Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Miller, Earl K. Why can your brain store a lifetime of experiences but process only a few thoughts at once? In this article we discuss “cognitive capacity” (the number of items that can be held “in mind” simultaneously) and suggest that the limit is inherent to processing based on oscillatory brain rhythms, or “brain waves,” which may regulate neural communication. Neurons that “hum” together temporarily “wire” together, allowing the brain to form and re-form networks on the fly, which may explain a hallmark of intelligence and cognition: mental flexibility. But this comes at a cost; only a small number of thoughts can fit into each wave. This explains why you should never talk on a mobile phone when driving. 2015-04-02T19:41:31Z 2015-04-02T19:41:31Z 2015-01 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0011-5266 1548-6192 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/96358 Miller, Earl K., and Timothy J. Buschman. “Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition.” Daedalus 144, no. 1 (January 2015): 112–122. © 2015 American Academy of Arts & Sciences en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/DAED_a_00320 Daedalus Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf MIT Press MIT Press |
| spellingShingle | Miller, Earl K. Buschman, Tim Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition |
| title | Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition |
| title_full | Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition |
| title_fullStr | Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition |
| title_short | Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition |
| title_sort | working memory capacity limits on the bandwidth of cognition |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/96358 |
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