ABSTRACT
Introduction
Contemporary theories of working memory have not been very successful in accounting for basic experimental findings of skilled memory performance. Most theories of working memory are based on the rapid access and storage of information in short-term memory (STM). A growing body of research has demonstrated that experts rely extensively on long-term memory (LTM) for skilled activities. Ericsson and Kintsch's (1995) Long-term Working Memory (LT-WM) theory proposes that skilled memory performance can be accounted for by using LTM to extend working memory limits. Evidence for LT-WM has been demonstrated for specialized skills, such as chess, as well as more common skills such as reading and text comprehension. A preliminary study tested whether subjects can use preexisting schematic knowledge to synthesize a memory skill that uses a LT-WM.
