Awareness and working memory
The multicomponent model of working memory originally included a central executive and two domain specific stores. It was later expanded with the episodic buffer to integrate multimodal information and link to long-term memory.
The authors reconceptualize the episodic buffer as an awareness buffer: a multimodal, limited-capacity short-term store that binds information from internal and external sources for conscious access and manipulation and that serves as the focal point of awareness.
The contents of the awareness buffer correspond to the current focus of attention and are determined by top–down executive control and bottom–up influences, such as relevance and salience.
This reconceptualization aligns with a broader convergence in viewing working memory as a limited-capacity hub for conscious awareness and flexible, goal directed behavior.
https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(26)00075-6
