Working Memory

A discussion of working memory is critical to the understanding of how attention is regulated. Working memory is a key component for understanding the role of the central executive in the regulation of attention. This is because any concept of top-down regulation of attentional resources, i.e., the imposition of a central executive who accesses past experiences and their related value determinations on the allocation of attention resources, is crucial to understanding how attention is deployed. Top-down regulation of attention initially requires that the individual has retained in memory a multiplicity of environmental stimuli and their related value determinations, and once reencountered in the environment, these memories are triggered and brought forward into working memory to be considered for action. Therefore, there is a clear connection between working memory and attention. In fact, for many situations where attention is employed, working memory is a key component of the process. While conceptually independent and subserved by different networks, a network understanding of attention would require a recognition that working memory is a necessary, and likely non-dissociable component of attention.