It is only relatively recently that it has been possible to study the neural processes that might underlie working memory, leading to a proliferation of research in this domain. This volume brings together leading researchers from around the world to summarise current knowledge of this field.

The idea of one's memory "filling up" is a humorous misconception of how memory in general is thought to work; it actually has no capacity limit. However, the idea of a "full brain" makes more sense with reference to working memory, which is the limited amount of information a person can hold temporarily in an especially accessible form for use in the completion of almost any challenging cognitive task. This groundbreaking book explains the evidence supporting Cowan's theoretical proposal about working memory capacity, and compares it to competing perspectives. Cognitive psychologists profoundly disagree on how working memory is limited: whether by the number of units that can be retained (and, if so, what kind of units and how many), the types of interfering material, the time that has elapsed, some combination of these mechanisms, or none of them. The book assesses these hypotheses and examines explanations of why capacity limits occur, including vivid biological, cognitive, and evolutionary accounts. The book concludes with a discussion of the practical importance of capacity limits in daily life. This 10th anniversary Classic Edition will continue to be accessible to a wide range of readers and serve as an invaluable reference for all memory researchers.

Visual working memory allows us to temporarily maintain and manipulate visual information in order to solve a task. The study of the brain mechanisms underlying this function began more than a half century ago, with Scoville and Milner’s (1957) seminal discoveries with amnesic patients. This timely collection of papers brings together diverse perspectives on the cognitive neuroscience of visual working memory from multiple fields that have traditionally been fairly disjointed: human neuroimaging, electrophysiological, behavioural and animal lesion studies, investigating both the developing and the adult brain.

"Featuring contributions from world-leading researchers, this book explores the relationship between visual perception and memory. It bridges the traditionally separate fields of vision science and recognition memory and deals with an interdisciplinary set of perspectives combining research in psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. The book makes new connections between the wealth of research from each respective field, developing the idea that visuospatial memory is our best memory system. This volume traverses topics grounded in both empirical study and real-world applications, including working (short-term) memory, long-term memory, the neuroscience of memory, development of memory over the lifespan, autobiographical memories, false memories, and eyewitness testimony. It argues that an increased knowledge of how visuospatial memory works can lead to an improved understanding of the basic features of memory, as well as providing strategies for memory improvement. The book features cutting edge visual memory research, where converging methods in psychophysics, cognitive neuroscience, and computational modelling have been propelling the field forward. Visual Memory is an essential read for all students and researchers of memory and visual perception. It will also be useful for researchers and students in related fields including human-computer interaction, data visualization, cognitive science, and cognitive enhancement"--

This second edition of the popular Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging provides up-to-date coverage of the most fundamental topics in this discipline. Like the first edition, this volume accessibly and comprehensively reviews the neural mechanisms of cognitive aging appropriate to both professionals and students in a variety of domains, including psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, neurology, and psychiatry. The chapters are organized into three sections. The first section focuses on major questions regarding methodological approaches and experimental design. It includes chapters on structural imaging (MRI, DTI), functional imaging (fMRI), and molecular imaging (dopamine PET, etc), and covers multimodal imaging, longitudinal studies, and the interpretation of imaging findings. The second section concentrates on specific cognitive abilities, including attention and inhibitory control, executive functions, memory, and emotion. The third section turns to domains with health and clinical implications, such as the emergence of cognitive deficits in middle age, the role of genetics, the effects of modulatory variables (hypertension, exercise, cognitive engagement), and the distinction between healthy aging and the effects of dementia and depression. Taken together, the chapters in this volume, written by many of the most eminent scientists as well as young stars in this discipline, provide a unified and comprehensive overview of cognitive neuroscience of aging.

"Updated second edition of this comprehensive overview of the cognitive neuroscience of memory. Covers cognitive neuroscience techniques, the human brain mechanisms underlying long-term memory success, longterm memory failure, implicit memory, working memory, memory and disease, and memory in animals, with an expanded section on group differences"--

Vision and memory are two of the most intensively studied topics in psychology and neuroscience. This book provides a state-of-the-art account of visual memory systems. Each chapter is written by an internationally renowned researcher, who has made seminal contributions to the topic.