The involvement of working memory during retrieval from episodic memory.

While the role of attention via WM during free recall has been well established in the dual-task literature, the potential role of storage-based aspects of WM in episodic retrieval has yet to be explored, particularly outside the context of individual differences. We enforced a storage-based WM load...

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Published in:Memory & Cognition Vol. 54; no. 3; pp. 883 - 898
Main Authors: Kocsis, Marton F., Farrell, Simon
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Apr2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Apr2026
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      pub: Springer Nature
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        10.3758/s13421-025-01786-x
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        atl: The involvement of working memory during retrieval from episodic memory.
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        au:
          Kocsis, Marton F.
          Farrell, Simon
        affil: https://ror.org/047272k79 School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, 6009, Perth, WA, Australia
      su:
        Task performance
        Episodic memory
        Attention
        Analysis of variance
        Cognition
        Research funding
        Cognitive processing speed
        Probability theory
        Descriptive statistics
        Psychology of movement
        Short-term memory
        Reaction time
        Accuracy
        Data analysis software
        Thought & thinking
      sug:
        subj:
          Task performance
          Episodic memory
          Attention
          Analysis of variance
          Cognition
          Research funding
          Cognitive processing speed
          Probability theory
          Descriptive statistics
          Psychology of movement
          Short-term memory
          Reaction time
          Accuracy
          Data analysis software
          Thought & thinking
      keyword:
        Divided attention
        Episodic retrieval
        Free recall
        Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology
        Working memory
        Divided attention
        Episodic retrieval
        Free recall
        Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology
        Working memory
      ab: While the role of attention via WM during free recall has been well established in the dual-task literature, the potential role of storage-based aspects of WM in episodic retrieval has yet to be explored, particularly outside the context of individual differences. We enforced a storage-based WM load during the recall window of a free recall-based task to examine effects on a variety of episodic recall characteristics. We assessed the effects of the load on benchmark effects from the free-recall literature (primacy, recency, lag-recency) and the rate of memory search. While load affected overall recall accuracy, there was otherwise no reliable effect of a storage-based WM load on the benchmark effects of free recall. The impairment of recall accuracy under WM load without any commensurate effect on fundamental aspects of episodic retrieval is challenging for perspectives in which the differences in episodic retrieval uniquely arise from effects on the rate of memory search, as has usually been observed in both the dual-task and WM literatures.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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