First question - What analogy helped you understand WM?
For me it was - It's more like the 'RAM' number on your computer, less like the capacity of the Hard Drive.
In normal speech, we call 'memory' the ability to remember things from long ago, and WM isn't that. I think it's more like the ability to pay attention to many mental details at once while problem solving.
Wiki says:[quote]Working memory is the ability to actively hold information in the mind needed to do complex tasks such as reasoning, comprehension and learning. Working memory tasks are those that require the goal-oriented active monitoring or manipulation of information or behaviors in the face of interfering processes and distractions. The cognitive processes involved include the executive and attention control of short-term memory which provide for the interim integration, processing, disposal, and retrieval of information. Working memory is a theoretical concept central both to cognitive psychology and neuroscience.
Theories exist both regarding the theoretical structure of working memory and the role of specific parts of the brain involved in working memory. Research identifies the frontal cortex, parietal cortex, anterior cingulate, and parts of the basal ganglia as crucial. The neural basis of working memory has been derived from lesion experiments in animals and functional imaging upon humans.[/quote}
