Protection and Removal of Information in Working Memory
If you would like to chat with the speaker on the day, please email Hazel Kennedy at hazel.kennedy@psy.ox.ac.uk.
Protecting information in working memory from distraction is essential to goal-directed behaviour. Discarding information from working memory may be just as important, as outdated information consumes precious storage capacity and can interfere with current goals. In this talk, I will discuss both of these abilities.

First, I will review recent advances in cognitive psychology and neuroscience that have produced new insights into the nature of working memory and its ability to resist distraction. This includes our recent findings which demonstrate that the benefits associated with prioritisation in working memory include a “bend but don’t break” policy for enduring distraction. Second, I will describe our recent neuroimaging work focused on intentionally removing information from working memory. We’ve identified distinct strategies for removal that have unique but stable patterns of brain activity with surprising consequences on the encoding of new information.
Date: 9 February 2023, 13:00 (Thursday, 4th week, Hilary 2023)
Venue: New Radcliffe House, Walton Street OX2 6NW
Venue Details: 2nd Floor Seminar Room
Speaker: Jarrod Lewis-Peacock (University of Texas, Austin)
Organising department: Department of Experimental Psychology
Organisers: Nima Khalighinejad (University of Oxford), Lauren Burgeno (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: lauren.burgeno@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor Kia Nobre (University of Oxford)
Part of: Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience (BEACON)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editors: Tracy Tompkins, Halley Cohen, Regula Dent