Attention Control and Working Memory, Varying Definitions and Measurements

The goal of the current review is to present a general review of the literature regarding the relationship between attention control and working memory, particularly focusing on how the two concepts are defined and experimentally measured. We also hope to convince the reader that working memory, as a broad concept, should be viewed as a hierarchical model comprising working memory capacity and attention control. In the extant literature, researchers have struggled with disentangling the two highly correlated constructs. In particular, attention control has been difficult to define because many papers use the same term to refer to different interpretations of the construct, or simply include it as part of working memory more broadly. Furthermore, multiple definitions of working memory have been presented and, as often as not, no definition is provided when researchers include working memory in their investigations. We hope to at least provide a useful overview of these multifaceted constructs and perhaps a usable framework for studying working memory and attention.