Bridging Working Memory and Long-Term Memory Through Attentional Prioritization and Refreshing

This project investigates how attentional mechanisms in working memory (WM) contribute to the formation of durable long-term memories (LTM). Specifically, we focus on two processes: attentional prioritization, where certain items are given higher importance during learning, and attentional refreshing, where items are reactivated in WM to counteract decay. Although both mechanisms are known to improve immediate performance in WM, their impact on long-term retention is less clear. The project consists of two experiments using an image–keypress associative learning task. In Experiment 1, we manipulated the availability of attentional refreshing by varying the demands of a secondary task during the WM maintenance phase. In Experiment 2, we contrasted implicit refreshing opportunities with explicit refreshing instructions to test whether deliberate reactivation enhances long-term retention. Both experiments included a surprise cued-recall test to assess LTM.