= Working memory
= WM
{c}
{synonym}
Temporary retention and use of information for ongoing <cognition> and action. Its explanation must account for capacity, precision, interference, prioritization and updating. <Persistent neural activity> and <activity-silent working memory> describe candidate mechanisms or states rather than interchangeable definitions of the behavioral capacity.
Temporary maintenance and manipulation of information in service of an ongoing task. Retaining intermediate <arithmetic> results or integrating a sentence with earlier text can tax <working memory>. A simple immediate span and a task requiring storage plus processing need not measure the same demand. Improvements in structurally similar <Memory in animals>[memory] tests are not sufficient evidence for improved <academic achievement>.<Does working memory training lead to generalized improvements in children with low working memory? by Darren L. Dunning and others>[Developmental Science 16, 915–925; three-arm randomised trial, Results and Discussion]{ref}
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