Place: 4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
Speaker: Brad Postle, UW Department of Psychology
Abstract: Working memory refers to the ability to hold a small amount of information in mind, to manipulate it, and to use it to guide behavior. Individual differences in working memory capacity predict a wide range of psychometric and real-world outcomes, from general fluid intelligence to standardized testing performance to lifetime earning potential. "Working memory" is also often used, particularly by cautious psychologists and neuroscientists, as a proxy for the 'contents of consciousness.' This talk will address recent work -- using brain imaging (fMRI and EEG), brain stimulation (TMS), and computational modeling -- that challenges the longstanding assumption that for information to be held in working memory, it must be held in an active state.