Final answer:
Working memory efficiency can be increased through activities such as expressive writing, particularly about traumatic experiences, optimal sleep, exercise, and strategies that promote metacognition and manage stress.
Step-by-step explanation:
The efficient functioning of working memory is increased by several factors, including good sleep habits, stress management, and strategic learning techniques. One particular strategy for improving working memory, as shown in a study by Yogo and Fujihara (2008), is to engage in expressive writing. In their study, participants who wrote about traumatic experiences for 20-minute intervals several times per month showed an increase in short-term memory capacity after five weeks. Other cognitive benefits like increased creativity, language learning, and inferential judgments have also been associated with optimal sleep. Moreover, organizing information into manageable bits, or 'chunking', is a well-known method to enhance the retention of information.
Additionally, physical exercise has been known to improve memory and cognitive functions by increasing blood flow, oxygen availability to the brain, and levels of neurotransmitters. In managing one’s mental space, promoting metacognition through good study habits can help in making careful and thoughtful decisions, consequently reducing errors and improving memory function.