Air Traffic Controller / FAA ATSA Exam Memory and Working-Memory Subtests Syllabus

How does distraction typically affect retrieval performance?

It reduces accuracy and slows recall by consuming attentional resources and disrupting rehearsal of the target information.

What is the difference between recall and recognition?

Recall requires producing information from memory with few cues; recognition requires only identifying previously seen information among options (recognition is generally easier).

What is forward digit span?

A task requiring recall of a sequence of digits in the SAME order in which they were presented.

What is backward digit span?

A task requiring recall of a sequence of digits in the REVERSE order from how they were presented.

Why is backward span considered a stronger measure of working memory than forward span?

Backward span requires mental manipulation/reordering of the held information, not just passive storage, taxing the central executive.

Which is typically longer for an average adult, forward span or backward span?

Forward span is typically longer (roughly 7) than backward span (roughly 5) because reversal adds processing load.

What strategy helps with backward recall tasks?

Mentally visualizing the sequence and reading it back from the end, or chunking, while holding the full string in the phonological loop.

What is the serial position effect?

The tendency to recall items at the beginning (primacy) and end (recency) of a list better than middle items.

What causes the recency effect in serial recall?

The last items are still active in working memory (recently rehearsed) at the time of recall.

What causes the primacy effect in serial recall?

Early items receive more rehearsal and are more likely transferred to long-term memory.

What is a memory updating task?

A task in which one must continuously replace old information with new incoming information, keeping only the most current items in mind.

Give a classic example of an updating task used in working-memory testing.

The n-back task, where you indicate whether the current item matches the one presented n steps earlier.

In a 2-back task, what must you report?

Whether the current stimulus matches the stimulus shown two items earlier in the sequence.

Which executive function is most heavily taxed by updating tasks?

Updating/monitoring of working-memory contents (one of the three core executive functions: updating, shifting, inhibition).

Why are updating tasks relevant to air traffic control?

Controllers must constantly revise the current position, altitude, and status of aircraft as new information replaces outdated data.

What is the 'running memory span' task?

A task presenting an unpredictable-length list where the participant must report the last few items, forcing continuous updating.

What does a concurrent counting (running count) task require?

Maintaining and incrementing a count of specified targets while simultaneously performing or attending to another task.

Why is concurrent counting/tallying a working-memory load?

It requires continuously updating a running total in working memory while inhibiting distractors and doing other processing.

In a tallying task, what two operations compete for resources?

Storing/maintaining the current tally and updating it (arithmetic increment) each time a target appears.

What is a cross-modal memory task?

A task requiring information to be encoded, held, or matched across different sensory modalities (e.g., hearing a sequence and responding visually).

Why are cross-modal tasks more demanding than single-modality tasks?

They require integrating or translating information between modalities, adding binding and attentional demands beyond simple storage.

In Baddeley's model, which component binds information from different modalities?

The episodic buffer, which integrates information across modalities and with long-term memory into unified episodes.

What is the visuospatial sketchpad?

The working-memory component that holds and manipulates visual and spatial information (locations, shapes, movement).

What is a dual-task paradigm?

An experimental setup requiring two tasks to be performed simultaneously to measure how shared cognitive resources are divided.

What does dual-task interference reveal about two tasks?

If performance on both drops when combined, the tasks compete for the same limited cognitive resources or working-memory component.

According to Baddeley's model, why can a verbal and a spatial task often be done together with little interference?

They rely on separate subsystems (phonological loop vs. visuospatial sketchpad), so they draw on different storage resources.

What is the central executive's role in dual-task performance?

It allocates attention, coordinates the two subsystems, and switches control between the concurrent tasks.

Define prospective memory.

Remembering to perform a planned action or intention at the appropriate future moment (remembering to remember).

What is the difference between prospective and retrospective memory?

Retrospective memory is recalling past information/events; prospective memory is remembering to carry out an intended action in the future.

What are the two main types of prospective memory cues?

Event-based (triggered by an external cue/event) and time-based (triggered at a specific time or after an interval).