ABSTRACT
Working memory is often described as a system for temporarily storing and manipulating information during cognitive tasks (Baddeley, 1986, p.34). The role of working memory in cognition is analogous to that of the hands in performance. The capacity for holding is important, but what really matters is the ability to transform what is held. Although other memory systems are not static, they tend to be passive. We say, for example, that activation spreads in the semantic memory system. But working memory is an active system, where thoughts are formulated and ideas are grasped.
