The Working Memory Advantage

Author: Tracy Alloway
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451650159
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
A bigger asset than IQ: The first book to introduce the newly discovered—and vitally important—mental skill known as working memory, showing how it is crucial to our success in work and life and how to strengthen it. Working memory—your ability to work with information—influences nearly everything you do. What if you could find a way to better handle a crazy schedule or expertly manage risks? What if you could gain an advantage in climbing the career ladder or in school or sports? What if there were a way to improve your outlook on life, to face each day with more optimism and confidence? Tracy and Ross Alloway, leading experts in the field, show how working memory is the key to all that and more. They present important recent findings, including research on how Facebook can help with working memory, how working memory can improve your kids’ grades, how it changes as you age, and how working memory is linked with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and Alzheimer’s. The Alloways describe their Jungle Memory program, which Ross created to help children improve their working memories, and is rapidly being embraced by the education community. Most importantly, they share the best news: you can improve your memory! Their book provides three tests to find out how good your working memory is—and more than fifty targeted exercises designed to help readers both process and memorize the information to maximize effectiveness. The Working Memory Advantage offers unprecedented insight into one of the most important cognitive breakthroughs in recent years—a vital new approach to making your brain stronger, smarter, and faster.

The Working Memory Advantage

Author: Tracy Alloway
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451650124
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Book Description
Arguing that working memory is a stronger predictor of success than IQ, a guide to enhancing memory cites its role in life management skills and various learning disorders while outlining prescriptive exercises for improving brain function.

Working Memory Capacity

Author: Nelson Cowan
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1317232380
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 238

Book Description
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.

Working Memory Activities

Author: David John Newman
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 9781492912682
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 186

Book Description
This Working Memory Activities book features a variety of highly engaging and inventive exercises that will help to improve your students' memory abilities. To be efficient learners, children need to hold information in their memory just long enough to sort and manipulate it. Children with poor working memory skills may struggle to hold onto, and effectively 'work', newly learnt information so that it ultimately fails to be retained. In the classroom, this difficulty may present as students missing out on vitally important verbal informationand struggling to sequence newly learnt material in a meaningful way. The activities and instructions in the workbook have been designed so that students are encouraged to listen and attend to a specific sequence of instructions. Each sequence needs to be held in the students' memory systems long enough to manipulate the information so that they can successfully complete each individual exercise. The workbook has seven sections for your students to practice their memory skills. Each section has a series of activities that are graded from entry to intermediate to advanced. Importantly, each section has a record sheet to chart student progress as they work throughthe activities. The Working Memory Activities book was formed from games and strategies that the author has developed over the last several years to engage children when working on their memory and thinking skills. This 178 page resource will be of high interest to classroom teachers, speech-language pathologists and parents of children with language and literacy difficulties.

How Can I Remember All That?

Author: Tracy Packiam Alloway
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 1785926349
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 66

Book Description
Why can't I remember what my parents just asked me to do? Why do I feel stressed out at school when the teacher is writing on the board and talking at the same time? And what can I do about it? Working memory issues affect a huge proportion of kids with learning differences like ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ASD. These issues can make them feel frustrated or bored, as working memory and intelligence are two very different things. Kids with working memory problems can also act out in the classroom and at home. In this child-friendly and authoritative guide, international working memory expert Dr Tracy Packiam Alloway walks you through what working memory is, what it feels like to have problems with your working memory, and what you can do about it. She presents key tips and strategies, such as the benefits of eating chocolate or of barefoot running, that will help children both at home and at school, and includes a section at the end for adults describing how we can test for working memory issues.

The Overflowing Brain

Author: Torkel Klingberg
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195372883
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 217

Book Description
As the pace of technological change accelerates, we are increasingly experiencing a state of information overload. Statistics show that we are interrupted every three minutes during the course of the work day. Multitasking between email, cell-phone, text messages, and four or five websites while listening to an iPod forces the brain to process more and more informaton at greater and greater speeds. And yet the human brain has hardly changed in the last 40,000 years.Are all these high-tech advances overtaxing our Stone Age brains or is the constant flood of information good for us, giving our brains the daily exercise they seem to crave? In The Overflowing Brain, cognitive scientist Torkel Klingberg takes us on a journey into the limits and possibilities of the brain. He suggests that we should acknowledge and embrace our desire for information and mental challenges, but try to find a balance between demand and capacity. Klingberg explores the cognitive demands, or "complexity," of everyday life and how the brain tries to meet them. He identifies different types of attention, such as stimulus-driven and controlled attention, but focuses chiefly on "working memory," our capacity to keep information in mind for short periods of time. Dr Klingberg asserts that working memory capacity, long thought to be static and hardwired in the brain, can be improved by training, and that the increasing demands on working memory may actually have a constructive effect: as demands on the human brain increase, so does its capacity.The book ends with a discussion of the future of brain development and how we can best handle information overload in our everyday lives. Klingberg suggests how we might find a balance between demand and capacity and move from feeling overwhelmed to deeply engaged.

Understanding Working Memory

Author: Tracy Packiam Alloway
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1473909309
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 262

Book Description
It is hard to conceive of a classroom activity that does not involve working memory – our ability to work with information. In fact, it would be impossible for students to learn without working memory. From following instructions to reading a sentence, from sounding out an unfamiliar word to calculating a math problem, nearly everything a student does in the classroom requires working with information. Even when a student is asked to do something simple, like take out their science book and open it to page 289, they have to use their working memory. Most children have a working memory that is strong enough to quickly find the book and open to the correct page, but some don’t – approximately 10% in any classroom. A student who loses focus and often daydreams may fall in this 10%. A student who isn’t living up to their potential may fall in this 10%. A student who may seem unmotivated may fall in this 10%. In the past, many of these students would have languished at the bottom of the class, because their problems seemed insurmountable and a standard remedy like extra tuition didn’t solve them. But emerging evidence shows that many of these children can improve their performance by focusing on their working memory. Working memory is a foundational skill in the classroom and when properly supported it can often turn around a struggling student’s prospects. This book will make sure you are able to spot problems early, work with children to improve their working memory and ensure they reach their full potential. How does the book work? Each of the following chapters includes a description of the learning difficulty (WHAT), followed by an inside look into the brain of a student with the disorder (WHERE), their unique working memory profile (WHY), and classroom strategies to support working memory (HOW). There are two types of strategies: general working memory strategies that can be applied to all students in your class, and specific working memory strategies for each learning difficulty. The final chapter (Chapter 9) provides the student with tools to empower them along their learning journey. The aim in supporting students with learning difficulties is not just to help them survive in the classroom, but to thrive as well. The strategies in the book can provide scaffolding and support that will unlock their working memory potential to boost learning. They are designed to be easily integrated within the classroom setting as a dimension of an inclusive curriculum and used in developing an individualized education program (IEP) for the student. The strategies recommended here can also complement existing programs that support a core deficit, such as a social skills program for a student with autistic spectrum disorder, or behavior modification for those with ADHD. Each chapter also includes: Try It box: Provides the reader with an opportunity to have a hands-on understanding of the material Science Flash box: Gives the reader a snapshot of current and interesting research related to each chapter Current Debate box: Discusses a controversial issue pertaining to the disorder Tracy Packiam Alloway is an award-winning psychologist based at the University of North Florida Ross Alloway is the CEO of Memosyne Ltd, a company that brings cutting-edge scientific research to parents.

The Development of Working Memory in Children

Author: Lucy Henry
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1446254194
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 393

Book Description
Using the highly influential working memory framework as a guide, this textbook provides a clear comparison of the memory development of typically developing children with that of atypical children. The emphasis on explaining methodology throughout the book gives students a real understanding about the way experiments are carried out and how to critically evaluate experimental research. The first half of the book describes the working memory model and goes on to consider working memory development in typically developing children. The second half of the book considers working memory development in several different types of atypical populations who have intellectual disabilities and/or developmental disorders. In addition, the book considers how having a developmental disorder and/or intellectual disabilities may have separate or combined effects on the development of working memory. The Development of Working Memory in Children is for undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in development/child psychology, cognitive development and developmental disorders.

Improving Working Memory

Author: Tracy Packiam Alloway
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1446259781
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 138

Book Description
Your working memory is the information your brain stores for a short period of time, it is your brain's 'post-it note' if you like, and how much information you can remember has a huge influence on how well you do at school, and beyond. By understanding a child's working memory, you will be able to support his/her learning and concentration at school, and their concentration. Better working memory can be particularly useful to children with conditions where poor working memory is thought to be an underlying factor. Such conditions include: - dyslexia - dyscalculia - speech and language difficulties - developmental co-ordination disorders (motor dyspraxia) - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - autistic spectrum disorders. This book explains how to spot problems early and how to work with children to improve their working memory, therefore increasing their chances of success in the classroom. It also explains the theory behind working memory. Underpinned by rigorous research and written in a highly accessible style, this book will appeal to practitioners, parents and students as an essential guide to helping their students fulfil their maximum potential.

Discovering the Brain

Author: National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309045290
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 195

Book Description
The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."