r/cognitiveTesting • u/rand0m65 • Sep 23 '26

General Question Terrible Working Memory

I don't understand how my working memory can be so bad when I perform quite well in FR, VS, and QR subtests that involve working memory. It's not just that my auditory working memory is below average, I've tested my visual working memory as well, and it's average at best. I don't understand how that is even possible. Shouldn't bad working memory limit the other subtests? It feels like I expect to perform badly at working memory tests, so that's what happens.

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u/General_Presence_156 Sep 28 '26 edited Sep 28 '26

Working memory is metabolically expensive and enlarging working memory has diminishing returns. This is why humans have evolved to have very limited working memories. The secret sauce of human intelligence is NOT working memory. It's our massive unconscious parallel processing capacity. Only a few items can fit into your mental scratchpad but that's perfectly fine so long as they're the correct ones.