Implicit working memory
Open accessAbstract
Working Memory (WM) plays a crucial role in many high-level cognitive processes (e.g., reasoning, decision making, goal pursuit and cognitive control). The prevalent view holds that active components of WM are predominantly intentional and conscious. This conception is oftentimes expressed explicitly, but it is best reflected in the nature of major WM tasks: All of them are blatantly explicit. We developed two new WM paradigms that allow for an examination of the role of conscious awareness in WM. Results from five studies show that WM can operate unintentionally and outside of conscious awareness, thus suggesting that the current view should be expanded to include implicit WM.
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These observations raise the possibility that non-human animals may also have conscious access to incidental information within memories.
“these observations nevertheless raise the possibility that non-human animals may also have conscious access to incidental information within memories.”
From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [181]
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- Authors
- Hassin, R. R., Bargh, J. A., Engell, A. D., & McCulloch, K. C.
- Affiliations
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL)
- Yale University (US)
- Idaho State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hassin, Ran R.
- Venue
- Consciousness and Cognition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-09
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 665-678
- ISSN
- 1053-8100 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2760263
- OpenAlex
- W2133750095
- Cited by
- 146
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 10.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Consciousness and Cognition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Digital Kenyon (Kenyon College) (submittedVersion)
- Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH060767)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Keywords
- working memory, conscious awareness, unconscious processes, cognitive control
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Attention, Awareness, Concept Formation, Consciousness, Discrimination, Psychological, Female, Field Dependence-Independence, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Orientation, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Psychomotor Performance, Serial Learning, Intention, Young Adult
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