Control and Interaction in Working Memory and Long-Term Memory: Exploring Chunking Mechanisms

Description: 
This project investigates how working memory (WM) and long-term memory (LTM) interact through chunking—the process of grouping items into meaningful units. While WM has a limited capacity of about 3–4 items, chunking allows us to efficiently overcome this constraint by leveraging information stored in LTM. Despite its importance, it remains unclear whether chunking within WM is an automatic process or whether it can be strategically controlled.
Through behavioral experiments using visual stimuli (e.g., colors, shapes, and objects), this study seeks to clarify how chunks are formed and used in WM, and whether their application depends on conscious control.
If you are curious about how memory systems collaborate to support cognition—and want hands-on research experience in cognitive neuroscience—this project is for you!
Commitment

• ~6 hours/week total, including:
  • Data collection (conducting and participating in experiments)
  • Reading assigned papers
  • Project meetings (once every 2–3 weeks)
     

How to Apply
Interested students should contact Eren Günseli, briefly describing their motivation for joining and their research experience.
For more details, visit: gunselilab.com