Working memory: Preparing for the unknown

Nov 28, 2022

Working memory, also called short-term memory, was long theorised to have the core task of actively storing information over a short period of time. Nowadays, working memory is considered more complex, because processes such as information selection and the planning of future actions run in parallel. In a recent study, a group of researchers at Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at TU Dortmund (IfADo) shed light on the prerequisites for the initiation of motor preparation processes in working memory. They come to the conclusion that the brain prepares options for action as early as possible to enable the best possible condition for the execution of an action.

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Work interruptions have a greater impact on older people

August 29, 2022

In everyday working life, people are often interrupted in their tasks. After the phone has rung, for example, it is difficult to concentrate on the original task again. The selection of working memory content is impaired after an interruption. Observations show that the performance deficit after such task interruptions is often bigger in older people. With the help of EEG evaluations, researchers from the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors in Dortmund (IfADo) have studied attentional selection during the resumption of primary tasks in younger and older persons in more detail.

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New EEG evaluations show how attentional focusing works after interruptions in working memory

Nov 29, 2021

Interruptions at work often lead to a deterioration in performance in the original task. This performance deficit usually manifests itself in a delay in resuming the actual task. With the help of EEG measurements, researchers at the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors in Dortmund (IfADo) have now analysed working memory processes when switching between different tasks in more detail. They were able to show that interruptions lead to more errors, longer reaction times and more inaccurate working memory content.

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Don’t stop me now: How interruptions affect working memory

At work, we are interrupted and distracted from time to time. This is especially challenging when working at home due to Covid-19. Scientists at the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) are focusing on how such interferences affect the performance of the working memory. They could show that it is particularly difficult to get back to the main task after an interruption. This was not the case with non-relevant distractions.

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