Working memory

The cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information during complex tasks such as language comprehension, reasoning, and decision-making. Working memory has limited capacity, typically described as 7 plus or minus 2 items, and varies between individuals. In accessibility contexts, working memory capacity significantly affects how users interact with auditory interfaces, how many concurrent speech streams they can process, and how well they can follow multi-step instructions. Designing for limited working memory — through information chunking, progressive disclosure, and reduced cognitive load — is essential for cognitive accessibility and accessible content for older adults.