The Flexibility of Working Memory in Drawing on Episodic Long-Term Memory Representations in Serial Recall
Prior episodic long-term memory (LTM) can enhance working memory (WM) by improving recall of WM representations that match pre-learnt information and by freeing up capacity for new information. In this study, we investigated the flexibility of WM in doing so. Specifically, we tested whether WM can m...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Ubiquity Press
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Cognition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://account.journalofcognition.org/index.php/up-j-jc/article/view/451 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849230104793710592 |
|---|---|
| author | Ana Rodriguez Philipp Musfeld Lea M. Bartsch |
| author_facet | Ana Rodriguez Philipp Musfeld Lea M. Bartsch |
| author_sort | Ana Rodriguez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Prior episodic long-term memory (LTM) can enhance working memory (WM) by improving recall of WM representations that match pre-learnt information and by freeing up capacity for new information. In this study, we investigated the flexibility of WM in doing so. Specifically, we tested whether WM can make use of pre-learnt item-item associations in a serial recall task, which typically requires the formation of item-positional bindings. We examined whether any benefits arise from accessing full episodic representations or from item activation, and assess whether the observed benefits are best explained by compression accounts during encoding (e.g., chunking, offloading) or by redintegration at test. Furthermore, we tested whether the benefits for pre-learnt and novel words depended on the position within the lists. Across three experiments, we consistently found that incorporating pre-learnt word pairs into a serial recall task facilitated immediate memory for words that matched pre-learnt representations – speaking against an item activation account. However, the benefit on new words within lists that included pre-learnt pairs depended on whether the words could be easily submitted to encoding strategies, such as chunking or offloading, which was facilitated by providing matching grouping structures during encoding. Overall, our results expand our understanding of how prior experiences can benefit WM processes, demonstrating that such benefits mainly result from the retrieval of prior episodes, rather than enhanced item activation in episodic memory. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a8b9813bb9864dd7b364ea3554455818 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2514-4820 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Cognition |
| spelling | doaj-art-a8b9813bb9864dd7b364ea35544558182025-08-21T12:42:00ZengUbiquity PressJournal of Cognition2514-48202025-07-0181404010.5334/joc.451450The Flexibility of Working Memory in Drawing on Episodic Long-Term Memory Representations in Serial RecallAna Rodriguez0https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9760-1753Philipp Musfeld1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6539-0105Lea M. Bartsch2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7640-9193University of ZurichUniversity of ZurichUniversity of ZurichPrior episodic long-term memory (LTM) can enhance working memory (WM) by improving recall of WM representations that match pre-learnt information and by freeing up capacity for new information. In this study, we investigated the flexibility of WM in doing so. Specifically, we tested whether WM can make use of pre-learnt item-item associations in a serial recall task, which typically requires the formation of item-positional bindings. We examined whether any benefits arise from accessing full episodic representations or from item activation, and assess whether the observed benefits are best explained by compression accounts during encoding (e.g., chunking, offloading) or by redintegration at test. Furthermore, we tested whether the benefits for pre-learnt and novel words depended on the position within the lists. Across three experiments, we consistently found that incorporating pre-learnt word pairs into a serial recall task facilitated immediate memory for words that matched pre-learnt representations – speaking against an item activation account. However, the benefit on new words within lists that included pre-learnt pairs depended on whether the words could be easily submitted to encoding strategies, such as chunking or offloading, which was facilitated by providing matching grouping structures during encoding. Overall, our results expand our understanding of how prior experiences can benefit WM processes, demonstrating that such benefits mainly result from the retrieval of prior episodes, rather than enhanced item activation in episodic memory.https://account.journalofcognition.org/index.php/up-j-jc/article/view/451long-term memoryworking memoryserial recallencoding structure |
| spellingShingle | Ana Rodriguez Philipp Musfeld Lea M. Bartsch The Flexibility of Working Memory in Drawing on Episodic Long-Term Memory Representations in Serial Recall Journal of Cognition long-term memory working memory serial recall encoding structure |
| title | The Flexibility of Working Memory in Drawing on Episodic Long-Term Memory Representations in Serial Recall |
| title_full | The Flexibility of Working Memory in Drawing on Episodic Long-Term Memory Representations in Serial Recall |
| title_fullStr | The Flexibility of Working Memory in Drawing on Episodic Long-Term Memory Representations in Serial Recall |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Flexibility of Working Memory in Drawing on Episodic Long-Term Memory Representations in Serial Recall |
| title_short | The Flexibility of Working Memory in Drawing on Episodic Long-Term Memory Representations in Serial Recall |
| title_sort | flexibility of working memory in drawing on episodic long term memory representations in serial recall |
| topic | long-term memory working memory serial recall encoding structure |
| url | https://account.journalofcognition.org/index.php/up-j-jc/article/view/451 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anarodriguez theflexibilityofworkingmemoryindrawingonepisodiclongtermmemoryrepresentationsinserialrecall AT philippmusfeld theflexibilityofworkingmemoryindrawingonepisodiclongtermmemoryrepresentationsinserialrecall AT leambartsch theflexibilityofworkingmemoryindrawingonepisodiclongtermmemoryrepresentationsinserialrecall AT anarodriguez flexibilityofworkingmemoryindrawingonepisodiclongtermmemoryrepresentationsinserialrecall AT philippmusfeld flexibilityofworkingmemoryindrawingonepisodiclongtermmemoryrepresentationsinserialrecall AT leambartsch flexibilityofworkingmemoryindrawingonepisodiclongtermmemoryrepresentationsinserialrecall |