Abstract

The role of binding in Working Memory Updating (WMU) has received only marginal interest, despite its undoubted relevance for the updating process. In the classical updating paradigm, the main focus has been on content updating, the process of discarding information when new information is presented. In the current study we measured the WMU process employing a dynamic memory task composed of alternating sequences of active maintenance and updating phases. The role of binding was tested by comparing two types of updating, total or partial. Stronger bound information was more difficult to update and a cost was found in partial updating situations only, where both content and binding updating was required.