Althea Need Kaminske
Working memory is an important concept that we’ve referred to in passing in several other Learning Scientist posts. This relatively simple concept influences how we think about learning and memory, so I wanted to give a brief overview of what working memory is, how it works, and why it’s important.
What is Working Memory?
Working memory refers to your ability to manipulate and remember information over a short period of time (about two minutes). It’s very similar to short term memory, but when we use the term working memory we are emphasizing the manipulation of information.
See the full article in The Learning Scientists.
AUTHOR
Althea Need Kaminske (née Bauernschmidt) is the senior director for student academic achievement and success at Indiana University School of Medicine. She joined the Learning Scientists team in 2018.
Althea received her PhD from Purdue University, and her BS in Psychology and BA in Linguistics from Indiana University. A common theme throughout her research is the application of cognitive psychology to education. Althea’s research is guided by questions such as: What is the most effective and realistic way for students and teachers to apply retrieval practice in the classroom? How do cell phones and other media affect attention and memory? When she is not thinking about learning, Althea enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.