Teaching-science or art
Article review
How is working memory capacity limited, and why?
By Nelson Cowan
Abstract
If you ever were wondering how is working memory capacity limited, and why? Nelson Cowan Professor at University of Missouri is answering these questions in his article published in the professional journal “Current Directions in Psychological Science” February 2010; vol. 19, 1: pp. 51-57. According to Nelson Cowan article “Working memory storage capacity is important because cognitive tasks can be completed only with sufficient ability to hold information as it is processed. The ability to repeat information depends on task demands but can be distinguished from a more constant, underlying mechanism: a central memory store limited 3 to 5 meaningful items for young adults.” The author is discussing why this central limit is important, how it can be observed, how it differs among individuals and why it may exist.
How is working memory capacity limited, and why?
A Review of the Article
In the first section of the article Nelson Cowan presented general information about working memory and the capacity limit of working memory. According to his research “working memory is used in mental tasks, such as language comprehension (for example, retaining ideas from early in a sentence to be combined with ideas later on), problems solving (in arithmetic, carrying a digit from the ones to the tens column while remembering the numbers), and planning (determining the best order in which to visit the bank, library, and grocery. “ He points out that many studies indicate that working memory capacity varies among people, predicts individual differences in intellectual ability and changes across the life span.
In the second section of the paper Nelson Cowan expanded upon the understanding central capacity limits. In order to understand the nature of working memory capacity limits he is explaining that “Whereas working memory ability
How is working memory capacity limited, and why?
By Nelson Cowan
Abstract
If you ever were wondering how is working memory capacity limited, and why? Nelson Cowan Professor at University of Missouri is answering these questions in his article published in the professional journal “Current Directions in Psychological Science” February 2010; vol. 19, 1: pp. 51-57. According to Nelson Cowan article “Working memory storage capacity is important because cognitive tasks can be completed only with sufficient ability to hold information as it is processed. The ability to repeat information depends on task demands but can be distinguished from a more constant, underlying mechanism: a central memory store limited 3 to 5 meaningful items for young adults.” The author is discussing why this central limit is important, how it can be observed, how it differs among individuals and why it may exist.
How is working memory capacity limited, and why?
A Review of the Article
In the first section of the article Nelson Cowan presented general information about working memory and the capacity limit of working memory. According to his research “working memory is used in mental tasks, such as language comprehension (for example, retaining ideas from early in a sentence to be combined with ideas later on), problems solving (in arithmetic, carrying a digit from the ones to the tens column while remembering the numbers), and planning (determining the best order in which to visit the bank, library, and grocery. “ He points out that many studies indicate that working memory capacity varies among people, predicts individual differences in intellectual ability and changes across the life span.
In the second section of the paper Nelson Cowan expanded upon the understanding central capacity limits. In order to understand the nature of working memory capacity limits he is explaining that “Whereas working memory ability
References: 1. Cowan, N. (2010). The magical mystery four: How is working memory capacity limited, and why? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19, 51-57. 2. Sousa David A. How the brain learns, Fourth Edition