Short-term Memory Research Assignemnt Paper (Term Paper Sample)

Short-term Memory
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Short Term Memory
Part 1: Early studies suggested that a cognitive task is correlated with working memory because (and only when) the processing portion of both tasks is similar. Review the evidence for and against this assumption
The working memory describes a comprehensive system that is tasked with holding and processing incoming and already warehoused information (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980). The importance of the working memory in cognition, conception, edification, and memory update cannot be ignored (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980). Additionally, the working memory is responsible for the manipulation of both visual and verbal information and acts as a coordinate for the subsystems. This explains the correlation between the cognitive part and the working memory (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980). Essentially, the cognitive parts are involved in ensuring the control of the working memory permitting the integration and retrieval of necessary data and information. The working memory is related to cognitive growth, however, this tend to decrease as a person grows older (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980).
The relationship between the working memory and processing is that both aims at executing and storing information. As an illustration, when an individual is reading a particular passage, the storage of various components of comprehension (pragmatic, semantic and syntactic) takes place (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980). Such information can become an active part of the working memory differently, for example, as an output of the comprehension processes. The correlations between the working memory and cognitive tasks, for example, the ability to solve a problem and measuring individual IQ are a relatively complicated procedure (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980). According to some proponents of this correlation, the working memory is an explicit reflection of the competence of executive purposes, and focus attention to particular events. The working memory also has the inherent ability to form a relation between different types of information from the cognitive parts (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980).
Opponents to this assertion, however, stipulate that developing a correlation between the working memory and cognitive parts is very challenging (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980). For instance, in the case of an inefficient reader processes, the extra information stored and maintained by the working memory may be significantly reduced. Moreover, the customary measures of short-term memory have no correlation with an individual’s ability to read (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980). Other scholars argue that the working memory acts as a mortal dispensation system rather than a viable storage barrier further dismissing any correlation with the cognitive parts. Given the limited capacity of the working memory, an individual may lose information through dislodgment or even degeneration. The ability to store information depends on the ability of the individual reader to store and maintain information with no particular correlation with the cognitive parts (Daneman, & Carpenter, 1980).
The multifaceted span that is used in measuring the working memory (WM) is used in predicting arithmetic and reading conceptions (Turner, & Engle, 1989). For example, a relatively good reader is purported to have an expanded capacity of the working memory. Correspondingly, when an individual is performing tasks that do not involve reading the WM is reduced considerably (Turner, & Engle, 1989). Turner, & Engle (1989) further assert that an individual working memory capacity is not task independent given its specific aptitude to mentally create functional relationships between various elements, or to establish a correlation from the specified information (Turner, & Engle, 1989). This is also evident by our inability to comprehend various numerical relations between inferences (Turner, & Engle, 1989). The limited capacity of the working memory further explains why instituting a feasible correlation with the cognitive parts is challenging (Turner, & Engle, 1989). Based on these discussions, it is apparent that the correlation existing between working storage capacity and an individual’s ability to articulately comprehend situations is a reality (Turner, & Engle, 1989). Being in a position to read and comprehend better is a not a direct implication or guarantee of possessing better storage possibilities (Turner, & Engle, 1989). Efficiency in reading is directly correlated to the working memory capacity a fact attributed to the individual proficiency in compression.
Part 2: Others suggested that working memory itself reflects a core capability necessary for higher-order cognitive tasks. Review two of these papers and try to shortly sketch a model on the decisive role of working memory capacity in higher-order cognitive tasks based on this literature
The working memory capacity (WMC) refers to a typical measure of the cognitive complexity of the span responsibility for an individual (Kyllonen, & Christal, 1990). It is also an explicit measure of the higher-order cognitive ability in a person belonging to a certain age bracket. As aforementioned in this document, the working memory describes a feasible system that is tasked with the active preservation and influence of information over short duration. The working memory assumes a very important role in defining a higher order perceptive responsibility (Kyllonen, & Christal, 1990). Moreover, different individuals process the working memory tasks at completely dissimilar rates. A person with an expanded working memory capacity will in most instances use attention as a viable way of avoiding any form of distraction (Kyllonen, & Christal, 1990). Working capacity responsibilities are explicit measures of the paradigm profoundly existing in higher-order cognitive abilities. The WM (working capacity) system is also tasked with quick storage of data and information, and quick retrieval of the same information (Kyllonen, & Christal, 1990). The system also prevents potentially inappropriate responses to diverse problems.
Relating the performance of most of the cognitive responsibilities is challenging, especially when taking discrete measures of the higher order cognitive responsibilities. Based on these, the assumption that the working memory has is a direct relation to the execution of the stipulated rational tasks (Kyllonen, & Christal, 1990). This correlation is obvious, especially with the levels of individual intelligence and academic attainment. The procedure that defines this kind of relationship is challenging and blurred with most scholars doing complex studies to establish the authenticity of this association. To establish this kind of association, the study subjects are engaged in a complicated attention that demands total commitment and processing of the working memory associated variations (Kyllonen, & Christal, 1990).
From this short experiment, it was ascertained that the complexity of the working memory span responsibility was enough catalyst used in the prediction of fluid intelligent capacity. The additional variation experienced was after a comprehensive span task of the individual’s working memory (WM) (Kyllonen, & Christal, 1990). As part of proof of this association, the academic prowess measured was viewed as a consequence of the fluid intelligence in the human system. There is no particular mediation effect between such scholastic performances and an all-inclusive working memory programming (Kyllonen, & Christal, 1990). The processing of the working memory errands is a relatively less complicated process, a fact proved by its ability to successfully make predictions of the scholastic achievements.
Different scholars have instituted a variety of interpretation of the performances of higher-order thinking skills due to the operational complexities associated with the description of such skills (Conway, Kane, & Engle, 2003). In essence, individual comprehension of such inherent skills has a limit due to the capacity of the working memory. For instance, as aforementioned in this document, establishing a viable association between the higher-order cognitive abilities and working memory entails a complete development and definition of the operational complexities of such skills (Conway, Kane, & Engle, 2003). Per se, accepting the fact that establishing this kind of relation is a complex process will help illuminate some of the reservations that are apparent in the comprehension of the cognitive skills (Conway, Kane, & Engle, 2003). One explicit assertion is that individual working memory (WM) necessitates the execution of diverse rational abilities (Conway, Kane, & Engle, 2003). Depending on the age of an individual, the reading and grasping span does not depend on the verbal abilities, but on the constant training and alignment of the working memory to a specific way of performing tasks (Conway, Kane, & Engle, 2003).
Differential skills and the application of diverse strategies in initiating viable intellectual abilities have no effect or correlation with the higher-order cognitive competence. In essence, most of the analyses on the working memory capacity (WMC) points at the visible variances that can be established between higher-order rationality and other inherent factors (Conway, Kane, & Engle, 2003). What seems to be obvious is the difficult execution of the information that is received in the working memory. The specific ability to mediate and control such rational abilities depends entirely on the feasibility of the relationship with the higher-order cognition.
The working memory (WM), however, fails to clarify some inherent issues, for ...