Working memory is the ability to retain, manipulate, and use information in conscious awareness when it is not present in the environment. It plays a critical role in essential cognitive functions such as language comprehension, learning, planning, reasoning, and fluid intelligence. The standard model of working memory, which posits that it is supported by specialized systems in the brain, has been challenged by recent empirical findings that suggest working memory functions arise from the coordinated recruitment of brain systems via attention, rather than from specialized storage buffers. The standard model, which emerged from the integration of psychological theory and neuroscience data, has been influential in shaping contemporary views of working memory. However, it has failed to accommodate many empirical findings, leading to the proposal of an alternative view. This alternative view suggests that working memory functions emerge from the coordinated recruitment of brain systems that have evolved to accomplish sensory-, representation-, and action-related functions. This view challenges the idea that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a critical substrate for working memory storage. Empirical evidence from behavioral, neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging studies in monkeys and humans supports this alternative view. For example, studies have shown that PFC activity is not necessarily tied to working memory storage, but rather to attentional functions such as monitoring and selection. Additionally, neuroimaging studies have failed to find evidence for domain-specific segregation of PFC working memory activity, challenging the standard model's predictions. The standard model also faces challenges from signal detection theory, which suggests that apparent capacity limitations in visual short-term memory (VSTM) may be due to noise in retained perceptual representations, rather than a limited number of storage slots. Furthermore, empirical studies have shown that working memory functions are dissociable across different domains, such as spatial, verbal, and auditory information, suggesting that the standard model's assumption of a single storage buffer is insufficient. The alternative view of working memory as an emergent property of the mind and brain suggests that working memory functions arise from the coordinated recruitment of brain systems via attention, rather than from specialized storage buffers. This view is supported by evidence from studies of spatial, object, and verbal working memory, which show that working memory functions are associated with sustained activity in brain regions responsible for the representation of information in non-working memory situations. The principles of this emergent property view suggest that working memory is not a specialized system but rather a dynamic process that emerges from the coordinated activity of multiple brain systems.Working memory is the ability to retain, manipulate, and use information in conscious awareness when it is not present in the environment. It plays a critical role in essential cognitive functions such as language comprehension, learning, planning, reasoning, and fluid intelligence. The standard model of working memory, which posits that it is supported by specialized systems in the brain, has been challenged by recent empirical findings that suggest working memory functions arise from the coordinated recruitment of brain systems via attention, rather than from specialized storage buffers. The standard model, which emerged from the integration of psychological theory and neuroscience data, has been influential in shaping contemporary views of working memory. However, it has failed to accommodate many empirical findings, leading to the proposal of an alternative view. This alternative view suggests that working memory functions emerge from the coordinated recruitment of brain systems that have evolved to accomplish sensory-, representation-, and action-related functions. This view challenges the idea that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a critical substrate for working memory storage. Empirical evidence from behavioral, neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging studies in monkeys and humans supports this alternative view. For example, studies have shown that PFC activity is not necessarily tied to working memory storage, but rather to attentional functions such as monitoring and selection. Additionally, neuroimaging studies have failed to find evidence for domain-specific segregation of PFC working memory activity, challenging the standard model's predictions. The standard model also faces challenges from signal detection theory, which suggests that apparent capacity limitations in visual short-term memory (VSTM) may be due to noise in retained perceptual representations, rather than a limited number of storage slots. Furthermore, empirical studies have shown that working memory functions are dissociable across different domains, such as spatial, verbal, and auditory information, suggesting that the standard model's assumption of a single storage buffer is insufficient. The alternative view of working memory as an emergent property of the mind and brain suggests that working memory functions arise from the coordinated recruitment of brain systems via attention, rather than from specialized storage buffers. This view is supported by evidence from studies of spatial, object, and verbal working memory, which show that working memory functions are associated with sustained activity in brain regions responsible for the representation of information in non-working memory situations. The principles of this emergent property view suggest that working memory is not a specialized system but rather a dynamic process that emerges from the coordinated activity of multiple brain systems.