Search algorithms in the mind? What memory-scanning can tell us about mental algorithms!
Working memory is the “workbench of the mind”—the place where our mind performs processes and manipulates information. In this video we’ll zoom in on a particular process—memory search—to see how the mind executes an algorithm to find a piece of information in working memory (and how we know this is true!).
0:00 – Intro
2:21 – Search algorithms
6:30 – Search time
11:53 – Sternberg’s experiment
14:37 – Exhaustive search
19:18 – Search time revisited
24:20 – Conclusions
26:33 – Key concepts
Sources:
Sternberg (1969). Memory-scanning: Mental processes revealed by reaction-time experiments. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27828738