Working Memory: What It Is And How To Improve It

The work memory (or working memory), in the field of cognitive psychology studies on memory processes, is a model introduced in 1974 by Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch to more precisely describe the dynamics of short-term memory. What type of memory is working memory? Working memory, in effect, is linked to the concept of short-term memory, understood as a part of information that is temporarily retained by the memory system, but with a reduced capacity and retention time In the following article, you will find more information about the types of memory, such as autobiographical memory, sensory memory, and episodic memory.

Working memory therefore has the function of storing verbal and spatial information that is relevant to carry out actions ; This information constantly adapts to the current situation and allows behavior to be guided in a planned manner. Once we have seen what working memory is and what it is for, we get the idea that it is a very important cognitive function that can be exercised. If you want to know how to improve working memory, continue reading the following exercises to improve working memory in adults and young people.

We are going to see 14 activities to work working memory in adults and young people with examples.

1. Mental representations

A first way to increase working memory capacity is to encourage people to represent in their minds an image or figure that is indicative of what they have just heard, a story, a story or a particular situation. For example, if you were asked to set the table for five people, it may be suggested that you imagine and then draw what the table should look like once it is set. As the capacity improves, you can only ask Have them represent it in their mind and then describe it out loud

2. Explain the situations

A second method to work working memory consists of encouraging the person to explain what you just learned in any situation, such as in sports: in this way you can help them make sense of new information and store it mentally. Plus, you can immediately start working on the data you just learned, instead of waiting a long time and then recovering it later.

3. Train visual memory

Another way to improve working memory is to propose some games that require the use of visual memory such as the combination of equal cards (Memory ) or the search for some details within an image of a figurative book or a magazine, or the repetition of vehicle license plates.

4. Play cards

Other simple games, but very useful for developing a good working memory, are those that require the use of cards, such as Uno, in which you have to take into account the rules of the game and at the same time, also remember the cards you have and how people before him played.

5. Learn study methods

One method that can help students, both young and old, is highlight or underline the most important parts of a text and jot down notes in a special notebook, and then answer any subsequent questions correctly. In addition, reading aloud is also recommended, with the aim of creating long-term memories and thus facilitating the information storage process.

6. Divide the information

Breaking information into smaller pieces can be a good way to facilitate processing and storage in memory, so it is a very useful exercise to improve working memory. It is easier to remember small groups of elements than a long series of the latter; Their division also favors greater understanding and a remarkable ease of remembering them even after a long time.

7. Learn with the senses

Learning new information can be improved by using the different senses: a new topic can be learned more quickly and easily by graphic representation on a sheet of a diagram and, at the same time, through the oral explanation of the same topic; It is possible, for example, to play with the ball by pulling it back and forth, while discussing the tasks that the person must do. With these strategies multisensory learning It can help you remember new information better and keep it in memory for longer.

8. Connect information

Another exercise to improve working memory is to connect information. It is possible to help a person remember better by taking him to create connections between different information In this way, old and new memories are compared, data is connected and new ones are formed to be retrieved later.

9. Make lists

Encourage writing lists of everything people have to do during the day or throughout the week whether in school or work tasks, in sports or family tasks. Obviously, this is a method that can be used with children who are already able to write and people who do not have difficulty writing; Alternatively the lists can be typed on the computer or by an assistant.

10. Tackle one thing at a time

Faced with the numerous activities that each person must carry out, such as tasks and appointments for the following week, you can help manage each topic or task one by one, in order to lighten the cognitive load and help people organize the development of each activity as best as possible.

11. Create routines

Another activity to improve working memory involves creating daily routines: for example, if during a student’s school day, teachers explained new topics, after school, the child can repeat to one of the parents everything they have learned trying to remember what he understood and what he didn’t understand.

12. Customize methodologies

Inventing new ways of remembering information or training working memory can be a very useful method, since the subject actively participates in the search for new ways that you can personalize and that reflect your interests.

13. Find the best strategy

There are many activities to work on working memory and you can experiment with various ways to improve working memory: for example, mentally creating images and describing them orally can be very useful. Not everyone, however, benefits from the same methods, so it would be necessary find out how to have it easier to remember.

14. Play a sport

Finally, to exercise working memory, it would be beneficial to play a sport, since Sports activity influences the mood, relieving tension, reducing stress and promoting sleep and, consequently, influencing memory and cognitive skills.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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