Publication | Closed Access
Memory updating in working memory: The role of the central executive
725
Citations
0
References
1990
Year
Memory RetrievalNeurolinguisticsCognitionAttentionHuman MemoryPsychologySocial SciencesWorking MemoryMemoryAdaptive MemoryExecutive FunctionCognitive NeuroscienceCognitive ControlCognitive ScienceMemory SystemUpdating ComponentCognitive FunctionCentral ExecutiveDynamic MemoryCognitive PerformanceCognitive DynamicsMemory AssessmentNeuroscienceMedicineLong-term Memory
The results are interpreted within Baddeley’s 1986 working‑memory model. Running‑memory tasks rely on two independent mechanisms—a serial‑recall articulatory loop and a central‑executive updating component—so that irrelevant speech and articulatory suppression impair recall but not updating, indicating that real‑time working‑memory updating is coordinated by the central executive.
Two experiments are reported which suggest that a dynamic memory updating task, running memory, requires two independent mechanisms — the articulatory loop and a component of the central executive. Experiment 1 shows that irrelevant speech and articulatory suppression impair the serial recall component of the running memory task but not the updating component. Updating memory affects performance independently of the effects of irrelevant speech and suppression. The second experiment produced the same pattern of results with a close to span memory load. These results are interpreted in terms of the working memory model outlined by Baddeley (1986). It is concluded that the updating of working memory in real time is coordinated by a central executive component of the model.