Latest Issue of the MindBrainEd Think Tank + (ISSN 2434-1002) 7 MindBrained Bulletin Think Tank V4i7 Exercise J | Page 5

Working memory is now a household term, as is obvious in the casual way Ratey
mentions it. In fact it was our Bulletin topic in March and you can follow the link for
more detailed explanations and useful resources. Instead this article intends to
provide a short and sweet definition of working memory in the hope that it deepens
your understanding of Ratey’s talk and helps your students as a result.
レイティー先生は、運動を取り入れた実践例が成功を収めた理由を、7：40 辺りか
ら説明しています。そこでは、前頭皮質の役割として、作動記憶（作業記憶）が挙
げられています。作動記憶についての詳しい情報は３月の会報をご覧いただくとし
て、ここではごく簡単に、１分で紹介します。
One-minute definition of Working Memory
Visualize working memory as a kitchen counter top.
If you want to prepare some salad (goal), you need
Visualize working
to bring some lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers
memory as a kitchen
from the fridge and place them there. Some
counter top.
vegetables may have been acquired recently and
they are fresh (short-term memory), but you also pull out a measuring spoon you
bought years ago; it fits in your hand so nicely and does the job almost automatically
(activated long-term memory). Then you choose, plan, and start chopping away
(executive function). The size of the counter top is your working memory capacity.
The bigger the surface, the easier it
tends to be to deal with the
ingredients and produce good results.
You won’t be dropping any lettuce by
mistake either (forgetting).
So working memory, or counter top
size, is what Ratey says exercise
switches on and both Curtis Kelly and
Steve Jugovic warn that long hours of
remaining seated turns off. Some
studies show working memory may also be equated with the g factor – general
intelligence. Without fearing oversimplification, it is what we imagine to be
intelligence itself.
作動記憶を調理台として想像してみて下さい。そこには、総菜を作る（目標）ため
に、最近買っておいた野菜（短期記憶）や、昔からお気に入りの調理道具（活性化
した長期記憶）を置き、選び取り、順序立て、調理します（実行機能）。調理台の
大きさは、作動記憶の容量を表わします。大きいと、途中で材料を落とす（忘却）
こともありません。
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