The article by Bradley R. Postle challenges the standard model of working memory, which posits specialized systems in the frontal cortex, particularly the prefrontal cortex (PFC), for storing and manipulating information. Postle argues that working memory functions arise from the coordinated recruitment of brain systems that have evolved to handle sensory, representational, and action-related functions, mediated by attention. The standard model, while influential, has been criticized for its inability to explain empirical findings from behavioral, neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging studies. Postle reviews evidence from various studies, including those on monkeys and humans, to support his alternative view. He discusses the logical and empirical challenges to the standard model, such as the increasing complexity of the proposed systems and the lack of evidence for domain-specific storage buffers in PFC. Postle also examines the role of PFC in working memory tasks, including spatial, object, and verbal memory, and suggests that working memory may emerge from the flexible deployment of attention across different brain systems. The article concludes by proposing an alternative view where working memory is an emergent property of the brain's ability to represent and manipulate various types of information, rather than being supported by specialized memory systems.The article by Bradley R. Postle challenges the standard model of working memory, which posits specialized systems in the frontal cortex, particularly the prefrontal cortex (PFC), for storing and manipulating information. Postle argues that working memory functions arise from the coordinated recruitment of brain systems that have evolved to handle sensory, representational, and action-related functions, mediated by attention. The standard model, while influential, has been criticized for its inability to explain empirical findings from behavioral, neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging studies. Postle reviews evidence from various studies, including those on monkeys and humans, to support his alternative view. He discusses the logical and empirical challenges to the standard model, such as the increasing complexity of the proposed systems and the lack of evidence for domain-specific storage buffers in PFC. Postle also examines the role of PFC in working memory tasks, including spatial, object, and verbal memory, and suggests that working memory may emerge from the flexible deployment of attention across different brain systems. The article concludes by proposing an alternative view where working memory is an emergent property of the brain's ability to represent and manipulate various types of information, rather than being supported by specialized memory systems.