TEMPORAL SIGNATURES OF GEOLOGICAL WORKING MEMORY

A study of geological working memory capacity in subjects ranging from novices to experts was undertaken in an exploration of the nature of geological expertise. Subjects were shown a series of block diagrams depicting geologic features, as well as a companion set of similar blocks exhibiting non-geologic features. Subjects viewed each block for 15 seconds, and then were prompted to reproduce the block from memory within 60 seconds. Videos of this reproduction process were captured. One geologic block diagram was chosen for detailed analysis to ascertain working memory output signatures over time. Videos for all subjects (n=36) were broken into 3-second time slices to allow for discrete capture of changes in drawing behavior. These data were characterized in three ways based on: how much was drawn, the accuracy of the drawing, and what features were drawn. Two take-home messages emerge: 1) The changes in accuracy of working memory output over time are not related to expertise, although total accuracy may be; and 2) Experts and novices reproduce features differently. These findings suggest that: 1) Expertise does not necessarily correlate with better working memory capacity; and 2) Experts visually chunk information in ways that are similar to prior studies of expertise in non-geologic domains.