Executive Function Skill: Working Memory

In terms of executive functioning skills the one that seems to be more rigid or rather set based on genetics and seems to have less fluidity is working memory. This is the part of memory that stores information as you are working on a task. Students with working memory problems have difficulty completing tasks that are process oriented which is pretty much all of learning. The more complex the task for example, calculus, the harder someone with working memory problems will have. Working memory also seems to face difficulties in older people as they face cognitive declines in old age. Now the picture might seem grim but there are some things that can be done to boost what you already have. The main thing is to eliminate distractions (I’m looking at you cell phones). The best way to throw off working memory is to have it interrupted by notifications or sounds. This is why learning environments are critical. Phones have no place in the classroom or in a study area. There are students who are clearly exhibiting addictive behaviors with phones and part of the reason why is not just the fact that they are designed that way but because they are not treated as the tool that they are. They are not our life in a box. They are a tool to use. The sooner students can get into that mindset the better off they are. One common trait I notice among students who are high achievers is they are also terrible at texting back because they will literally put their phone down and not touch it for hours. Students who have their phones with them when studying are increasing the amount of time they need to spend studying because our brains are not designed to multitask. We can only really do one thing at a time especially if it is a heavy cognitive load process. Anyone who has attempted to have a conversation with someone while watching a new movie will note this or if you are trying a new recipe and listening to a podcast at the same time. New things require complete attention.  The exception to this is a household task that isn’t a heavy cognitive load (like folding laundry) and listening to an audiobook. They are tasks that require completely separate parts of the brain (don’t try that if you are learning how to fold clothes in a new way). The only way to aid working memory is to give something new your full attention so distractions do not make you lose your place in the process. This also will naturally improve with tasks like math problems that are done over and over again. Repetition is often looked at as a relic of a long ago era when it’s the best way to get a process to stick. Doctors have to watch first, do themselves, and then teach someone how before they are considered to have completed the learning cycle of a procedure. So for every new thing you don’t fully know something until you can explain it to someone else.