The overflowing brain: information overload and the limits of working memory

Introduction: The Stone Age Brain Meets the Flood of Information A. THE MAGICAL NUMBER SEVEN B. THE STONE AGE BRAIN C. BRAIN PLASTICITY D. INCREASES IN IQ IN THE 20TH CENTURY E. THE FUTURE 2. The Information Portal A. DIFFERENT TYPES OF ATTENTION B. ABSENT-MINDEDNESS C. MEASURING ATTENTION IN MILLISECONDS D. THE SPOT-LIGHT IN THE BRAIN E. COMPETITION BETWEEN NEURONS F. TWO PARALLEL SYSTEMS OF ATTENTION 3. The Mental Workbench A. WORKING MEMORY AND SHORT-TERM MEMORY B. LONG-TERM MEMORY C. CONTROL OF ATTENTION D. PROBLEM-SOLVING AND IQ 4. Models of Working Memory A. INFORMATION IN THE PARIETAL LOBE B. ATTENTION AND MEMORY UNITED C. HOW DO WE ENCODE INFORMATION? 5. The Brain and the Magical Number 7 A. THE DEVELOPING BRAIN B. BRAIN SIGNALS AND CAPACITY C. MECHANISMS FOR A CAPACITY LIMITATION D. THE CHILD BRAIN E. COMPUTER SIMULATIONS OF BRAIN ACTIVITY 6. Simultaneous Capacity and Mental Bandwidth A. DRIVING AND TALKING B. THE COCKTAIL PARTY EFFECT AND OTHER DISTRACTIONS C. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BRAIN DURING DUAL TASKING? D. THE UNIFYING CAPACITY HYPOTHESIS 7. Wallace's Paradox A. THE EVOLUTION OF WORKING MEMORY B. INTELLIGENCE AS A SECONDARY EVOLUTIONARY EFFECT 8. Brain Plasticity A. HOW BRAIN MAPS ARE REDRAWN B. THE EFFECT OF STIMULATION C. MUSIC AND JUGGLING D. WHAT IS USE AND WHAT IS IT 9. Does ADHD Exist? A. WHAT IS ADHD? B. THE WORKING MEMORY HYPOTHESIS C. PILLS AND EDUCATION 10. A Cognitive Gym A. COMPUTERIZED TRAINING OF WORKING MEMORY B. EFFECTS OF TRAINING ON BRAIN ACTIVITY 11. The Everyday Exercising of our Mental Muscles A. THE EINSTEIN AGING STUDY B. MENTAL BENCHMARKS C. ZEN AND ATTENTION D. BOMPU ZEN E. SCIENCE AND MEDITATION F. CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES 12. Computer Games A. ALARM REPORTS B. THE BENEFIT OF COMPUTER GAMES C. COMPUTER GAMES AND THE FUTURE 13. The Flynn Effect A. STUDIES OF IQ TRAINING B. EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU 14. Neurocognitive Enhancement A. MENTAL DOPING B. OUR DAILY DRUGS 15. Information Flood and Flow A. INFO-STRESS B. WHY WE LOVE INFORMATION C. FLOW 16. References