suoritusmuistin

Suoritusmuisti, often translated as "working memory" or "short-term memory," is a cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information necessary for complex cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. It is a dynamic system, unlike the more passive storage of long-term memory. Information in working memory is not merely stored but actively processed and rehearsed.

The concept of working memory is often contrasted with the older concept of short-term memory, which was seen primarily as a temporary storage buffer. Working memory, on the other hand, emphasizes the active manipulation and transformation of information. Key components typically described in models of working memory include a central executive, which controls attention and resource allocation, and slave systems that handle specific types of information, such as the phonological loop for auditory information and the visuospatial sketchpad for visual and spatial information.

The capacity of working memory is limited, both in terms of the amount of information that can be held and the duration for which it can be held without rehearsal. This limitation has significant implications for learning and cognitive performance. For example, when learning new material, working memory plays a crucial role in integrating new information with existing knowledge. Difficulties with working memory can manifest in various learning disabilities and attention deficits. Understanding working memory is fundamental to comprehending how we process information and perform everyday cognitive tasks.