"Working memory has been called the 'chalkboard of the mind.'"

— Siegel, Dan J. (b. 1957)


Place of Publication
New York
Publisher
Guilford Press
Date
1999
Metaphor
"Working memory has been called the 'chalkboard of the mind.'"
Metaphor in Context
Working memory has been called the "chalkboard of the mind." It is the mental process involved when we say that we are "thinking about something"; it allows us to reflect upon items perceived in the present and recalled from the past. When we consciously think of a problem or an event, working memory allows us to link together various representations and manipulate them in our minds. The product of such cognitive processing can then enter a more stable component, 'long-term' memory. In some individuals with disorders of attention, working memory appears to be unable to handle the amount of items for as long as the working memory of normal subjects. Imaging studies have supported this clinical finding by identifying abnormalities in the lateral prefrontal cortex, the site thought to be a primary mediator of working memory.
(p. 36)
Categories
Provenance
Watching Google Tech Talk
Citation
Dan Siegel, The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are (New York: Guilford Press, 1999).
Date of Entry
08/26/2011

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.