The New IQ: Use Your Working Memory to Think Stronger, Smarter, Faster

IQ tests, which measure our ability to retain information, are out-dated. In the digital era, the new IQ is not about retaining knowledge, but managing it.

Working memory is the brain’s Post-It note. It allows us to make mental scribbles of what we need to remember and process. The bigger the ‘Post-It’ we have, the more proficient a multi-tasker we are. And in a modern world, where technology and busy lives place an increasing strain on our working memory’s capacity, its strength becomes an important predictor of our success.

But what determines the strength of our working memory? How does it change over the course of our lives and is there anything we can do to improve its capability? Through research, observations and anecdotes, ‘The New IQ’ explores these questions, dispelling the myths that surround modern intelligence and IQ and explaining how working memory differs across a spectrum of people, with varying aptitude, experiences, and expertise. It looks at athletes as well as chess players, memory champions and autistic savants, the young and the old, examining the impact of working memory on finances, relationships and work.

‘The New IQ’ provides an understanding of working memory as an evolving mechanism of the modern brain and shows us how to enhance it in order to improve our chances of success in all aspects of life.

Tracy Alloway, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of North Florida. Formerly, she was the Director of the Centre for Memory and Learning in the Lifespan. She is an expert on working memory and education, and developed the internationally recognized Alloway Working Memory Assessment. She writes a blog for Psychology Today. Ross Alloway, PhD, CEO of Memosyne Ltd, brings working memory training to educators and parents. Ross developed Jungle Memory, used by thousands of students in over twenty countries. Together, they have edited an academic book on working memory (Psychology Press) and has published research on working memory in a variety of contexts, from education to ageing, from happiness to lying, from barefoot running to Facebook. Their research has been featured on BBC, ABC News, Huffington Post, Salon, The Washington Post, and Newsweek. They have lived in El Salvador, Scotland, and currently live in Jacksonville, Florida.