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Consciousness: How 'working memory' may mysteriously give rise to it
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-consciousness-memory-mysteriously.htmlHenry Taylor, The Conversation
I was just mentioning to a friend that some nights I'll wake up, turn over to look at the time, and then get comfortable again. Then I can't remember what the time was even though I know I saw it clearly. (Still take care of myself and drive... Scary!)
You know that feeling when you walk into a room and immediately forget why you came in? Maybe you were there to fetch your keys. On your way to the room, you were thinking about grabbing your keys. But once you arrive, your keys have completely disappeared from your mind.
This is sometimes known as the doorway effect, since it often strikes when you walk into a new room. Why does it happen? The answer has a lot to do with a faculty called working memory. Information gets stored in working memory when we need it for the tasks that we are engaged in right now (like remembering to grab your keys).
What makes working memory so intriguing is its close link to consciousness. The doorway effect suggests that when information is removed from working memory, it immediately seems to leave consciousness. It also suggests that it is easy for information in working memory to be forgotten.
The link between working memory and consciousness is getting increasing attention in psychology, philosophy and neuroscience. Could working memory somehow give rise to consciousness? In my new book, I explore the complex relationship between the two.
. . .
This is sometimes known as the doorway effect, since it often strikes when you walk into a new room. Why does it happen? The answer has a lot to do with a faculty called working memory. Information gets stored in working memory when we need it for the tasks that we are engaged in right now (like remembering to grab your keys).
What makes working memory so intriguing is its close link to consciousness. The doorway effect suggests that when information is removed from working memory, it immediately seems to leave consciousness. It also suggests that it is easy for information in working memory to be forgotten.
The link between working memory and consciousness is getting increasing attention in psychology, philosophy and neuroscience. Could working memory somehow give rise to consciousness? In my new book, I explore the complex relationship between the two.
. . .
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I have an Excel template on the PC in my office. Some items I know I need, other items I need to go to the kitchen/fridge/pantry or freezer in the garage to check what’s on hand. Almost every time there’s at least one incident of me going through the door into the garage, opening the freezer door and then going, “Crap! What did I come out here to look at?”
