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<p>In the working memory (WM) field, it has been documented that additional free time improves immediate memory performance. Recently, Leproult and collaborators (2024) demonstrated that beyond the total amount of free time, its distribution also played a crucial role. Specifically, WM performance was enhanced when free time was provided in massed rather than distributed periods. In the present paper, we demonstrated that the Time-Based Resource-Sharing (TBRS) model and its computational version, relying solely on refreshing as a maintenance mechanism, were unable to account for these outcomes, even when considering the most recent updates in the implementation of refreshing. In line with the conclusions of Leproult et al. (<CitationRef CitationID="CR84">2024</CitationRef>), the aim of the present study was to examine whether incorporating a mechanism reproducing the semantic maintenance effect into the TBRS* model could address this gap. We extensively tested this new TBRS*-S+ model by evaluating its capacity to simultaneously reproduce well-established primacy and recency effects, the results observed across the four experiments reported in Leproult et al. (<CitationRef CitationID="CR84">2024</CitationRef>), and unpublished data investigating the interaction between concreteness and free-time distribution. Furthermore, the TBRS*-S+ model was challenged by assessing its ability to simulate the extra free-time advantage in simple span tasks. Encouragingly, results showed that, whereas the original TBRS* model consistently failed, the TBRS*-S+ model accurately reproduced all these aspects of human performance. Based on these results, new insights into the functioning of refreshing processes within WM were provided. Finally, we discussed alternative theoretical and computational frameworks that might also account for this free-time distribution effect.</p>

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Explaining the Free-time Distribution Effect in Working Memory Through Semantic Maintenance: A Computational Approach

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月24日

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  • Inès Leproult,
  • Sophie Portrat,
  • Benoît Lemaire

摘要

In the working memory (WM) field, it has been documented that additional free time improves immediate memory performance. Recently, Leproult and collaborators (2024) demonstrated that beyond the total amount of free time, its distribution also played a crucial role. Specifically, WM performance was enhanced when free time was provided in massed rather than distributed periods. In the present paper, we demonstrated that the Time-Based Resource-Sharing (TBRS) model and its computational version, relying solely on refreshing as a maintenance mechanism, were unable to account for these outcomes, even when considering the most recent updates in the implementation of refreshing. In line with the conclusions of Leproult et al. (2024), the aim of the present study was to examine whether incorporating a mechanism reproducing the semantic maintenance effect into the TBRS* model could address this gap. We extensively tested this new TBRS*-S+ model by evaluating its capacity to simultaneously reproduce well-established primacy and recency effects, the results observed across the four experiments reported in Leproult et al. (2024), and unpublished data investigating the interaction between concreteness and free-time distribution. Furthermore, the TBRS*-S+ model was challenged by assessing its ability to simulate the extra free-time advantage in simple span tasks. Encouragingly, results showed that, whereas the original TBRS* model consistently failed, the TBRS*-S+ model accurately reproduced all these aspects of human performance. Based on these results, new insights into the functioning of refreshing processes within WM were provided. Finally, we discussed alternative theoretical and computational frameworks that might also account for this free-time distribution effect.