How is working memory different from short term memory and long term memory?
I am glad you asked this. As an undergraduate student, I had thought that the distinction between short and long term memory had long been settled. The notion of working memory stems from research on short term memory. Indeed, measures of phonological storage are similar to those traditionally used for indexing short term storage. However, there is more to working memory than short term storage. Because it is involved in storing and manipulating information, it also consists of a processing component. One way to think of working memory is that it refers to the ability to hold information in mind and the ability to make use of that information. The latter — making use of information — requires access to long term memory. From a more technical perspective, a recent revision to Baddeley and Hitch’s (1974) model saw long term memory connected to working memory via an episodic buffer. This buffer provides temporary storage for long term information that has been activated by the working m
