Cognitive Glossary

Working Memory

Working memory is a limited-capacity cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information in service of ongoing tasks. Baddeley and Hitch (1974) proposed an influential multi-component model comprising a phonological loop for verbal material, a visuospatial sketchpad for visual and spatial material, and a central executive that allocates attention across both. Working-memory capacity is a robust predictor of fluid intelligence, reading comprehension, and complex task performance.

Reference: Baddeley & Hitch, 1974.

In gaming

  • 1.Tracking enemy ability cooldowns across a five-versus-five teamfight in League of Legends while still executing your own combo.
  • 2.Holding the utility counts of five opponents in CS2: how many smokes, flashes, and molotovs each has left, and which sites they can still execute onto.
  • 3.Keeping a running mental tally of rotations, ring timings, and remaining squads in the last two rings of an Apex Legends match.

How NeuroRank measures it

NeuroRank's Memory module uses a visuospatial grid-recall task, a direct measure of the sketchpad component of working memory. Sequence length escalates until the player fails, and partial-credit scoring captures near-misses. The module produces the Working Memory dimension score.

Dimension: Working MemoryScience: Memory module methodology

Related terms

Spatial Memory (coming soon)Visual Working Memory (coming soon)Chunking (coming soon)Cognitive Load (coming soon)Executive Function

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