Working memory(s)

Working memory is variously defined as a set of linked and interacting info rmation processing components that maintain information in a short-term sto re (or retrieve information into that store) for the purpose of the active manipulation of the stored items. The purpose of the this Special Issue is to present data relevant to the question of the functional organization of working memory. In this Introduction we review the two models of working me mory and suggest that some of the similarities may be more apparent than re al. We further suggest that the two models describe different systems that are specialized for different kinds of stimuli and for different kinds of i nformation processing. (C) 1999 Academic Press.