cool stuff about memory

Apparently, John Anderson first had the idea of modeling working memory as consisting of short-term chunks + the high-activation long-term chunks.

With this model, one can see how distractions, by messing with activation levels, disturb performance on complex tasks, especially for people with big queues to process.

Geniuses' absent-mindedness could have to do with a too busy system. They resist focusing on the outside world, as a way of protecting their mental productivity from distractions.