Can we distinguish three maintenance processes in working memory?

We describe three mechanisms—consolidation, refreshing, and removal—defined in several theoretical reviews in a recent Ann NY Acad Sci special issue as processes that may serve to strengthen new memories. We detail their explicit and implied differences and similarities, and highlight points upon which theorists disagree about their supposed characteristics. We consider the challenges remaining in refining definitions of these processes and with situating them within working memory theories, and consider how these process definitions and theory should restrict each other