The Difference in Cognitive Processing Between Route and Survey Descriptions Used by Visuo-Spatial Working Memory

IntroductionResearch in psycholinguistics focusing on cognitive processing in bilinguals and the role played by working memory about cognitive processing indicated that Working Memory (WM) was instrumental in cognitive processing in bilinguals, but that its role was different and generally more complex than it was in monolinguals. However, the specific manner in which the use of WM differed between monolinguals and bilinguals was not always clear.ObjectivesThis research explored the verbal and visual-spatial WM performance in an Arabic monolingual group and a bilingual English/Arabic group.MethodsThe participants were 396 Kuwaiti (198 monolingual aged 7.99 ± 1.97 years and 198 bilingual aged 8.03 ± 1.92) with no significant age differences (t = 0.23, P > 0.05). The two groups were compared on how they performed in the Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA), to measure a verbal and visual-spatial WM tasks. The tasks were Listening Recall, Counting Recall, Mr. X, Backward Digit Recall, Odd-one-out and Spatial Span. All tasks were internally consistent (Alpha = 0.91, 0.93, 0.87, 0.88, 0.87, and 0.91 respectively). The data was analyzed using Independent Sample t Test.ResultsThe findings showed that there was significant group difference as the monolingual Arabic group (L1) performed better than bilingual English/Arabic group (L2) on both of verbal WM (t = 3.25, P < 0.002) and visuospatial WM (t = 3.04, P < 0.002).ConclusionThe monolingual children obtained higher scores on both verbal and visuospatial WM. These findings were explained in terms of the complexity of the Arabic language and cultural context in which the second language is being practiced. This warrants further investigation.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Differential prioritization of intramaze cue and boundary information during spatial navigation across the human lifespan

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-94530-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Franka Glöckner ◽

Nicolas W. Schuck ◽

Shu-Chen Li

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Spatial Learning ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Working Memory Capacity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Older Children ◽

Human Lifespan ◽

Boundary Information

AbstractSpatial learning can be based on intramaze cues and environmental boundaries. These processes are predominantly subserved by striatal- and hippocampal-dependent circuitries, respectively. Maturation and aging processes in these brain regions may affect lifespan differences in their contributions to spatial learning. We independently manipulated an intramaze cue or the environment’s boundary in a navigation task in 27 younger children (6–8 years), 30 older children (10–13 years), 29 adolescents (15–17 years), 29 younger adults (20–35 years) and 26 older adults (65–80 years) to investigate lifespan age differences in the relative prioritization of either information. Whereas learning based on an intramaze cue showed earlier maturation during the progression from younger to later childhood and remained relatively stable across adulthood, maturation of boundary-based learning was more protracted towards peri-adolescence and showed strong aging-related decline. Furthermore, individual differences in prioritizing intramaze cue- over computationally more demanding boundary-based learning was positively associated with cognitive processing fluctuations and this association was partially mediated by spatial working memory capacity during adult, but not during child development. This evidence reveals different age gradients of two modes of spatial learning across the lifespan, which seem further influenced by individual differences in cognitive processing fluctuations and working memory, particularly during aging.

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Differences in verbal and spatial working memory in patients with bipolar II and unipolar depression: an MSI study

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-021-03595-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhinan Li ◽

Junhao Chen ◽

Yigang Feng ◽

Shuming Zhong ◽

Shui Tian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Neural Mechanism ◽

Unipolar Depression ◽

Source Imaging ◽

Magnetic Source Imaging ◽

Unipolar Disorder ◽

Bipolar Ii ◽

The Difference

Abstract Background Depressive symptoms could be similarly expressed in bipolar and unipolar disorder. However, changes in cognition and brain networks might be quite distinct. We aimed to find out the difference in the neural mechanism of impaired working memory in patients with bipolar and unipolar disorder. Method According to diagnostic criteria of bipolar II disorder of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and assessments, 13 bipolar II depression (BP II), 8 unipolar depression (UD) patients and 15 healthy controls (HC) were recruited in the study. We used 2-back tasks and magnetic source imaging (MSI) to test working memory functions and get the brain reactions of the participants. Results Compared with HC, only spatial working memory tasks accuracy was significantly worse in both UD and BP II (p = 0.001). Pearson correlation showed that the stronger the FCs’ strength of MFG-IPL and IPL-preSMA, the higher accuracy of SWM task within left FPN in patients with UD (r = 0.860, p = 0.006; r = 0.752, p = 0.031). However, the FC strength of IFG-IPL was negatively correlated with the accuracy of SWM task within left FPN in patients with BP II (r = − 0.591, p = 0.033). Conclusions Our study showed that the spatial working memory of patients with whether UD or BP II was impaired. The patterns of FCs within these two groups of patients were different when performing working memory tasks.

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Cognitive processing and functional interactions within hippocampal-neocortical networks during a spatial working memory task in humans

Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/conf.fncom.2011.53.00202 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Author(s):

Durstewitz Daniel

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Memory Task ◽

Functional Interactions

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Skipping Breakfast Affects the Early Steps of Cognitive Processing

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000214 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 109-118

Author(s):

Andrés Antonio González-Garrido ◽

Jacobo José Brofman-Epelbaum ◽

Fabiola Reveca Gómez-Velázquez ◽

Sebastián Agustín Balart-Sánchez ◽

Julieta Ramos-Loyo

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Task Difficulty ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Brain Potentials ◽

Brain Functioning ◽

Attentional Processes ◽

Electrical Brain Activity ◽

Skipping Breakfast

Abstract. It has been generally accepted that skipping breakfast adversely affects cognition, mainly disturbing the attentional processes. However, the effects of short-term fasting upon brain functioning are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of skipping breakfast on cognitive processing by studying the electrical brain activity of young healthy individuals while performing several working memory tasks. Accordingly, the behavioral results and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) of 20 healthy university students (10 males) were obtained and compared through analysis of variances (ANOVAs), during the performance of three n-back working memory (WM) tasks in two morning sessions on both normal (after breakfast) and 12-hour fasting conditions. Significantly fewer correct responses were achieved during fasting, mainly affecting the higher WM load task. In addition, there were prolonged reaction times with increased task difficulty, regardless of breakfast intake. ERP showed a significant voltage decrement for N200 and P300 during fasting, while the amplitude of P200 notably increased. The results suggest skipping breakfast disturbs earlier cognitive processing steps, particularly attention allocation, early decoding in working memory, and stimulus evaluation, and this effect increases with task difficulty.

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Working Memory and Number Sense as Predictors of Mathematical (Dis-)Ability

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000208 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 223 (2) ◽

pp. 102-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Evelyn H. Kroesbergen ◽

Marloes van Dijk

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Learning Disabilities ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Number Sense ◽

Mathematical Learning ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Mathematical Learning Disabilities ◽

Visual Spatial Working Memory ◽

And Mathematics

Recent research has pointed to two possible causes of mathematical (dis-)ability: working memory and number sense, although only few studies have compared the relations between working memory and mathematics and between number sense and mathematics. In this study, both constructs were studied in relation to mathematics in general, and to mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) in particular. The sample consisted of 154 children aged between 6 and 10 years, including 26 children with MLD. Children performing low on either number sense or visual-spatial working memory scored lower on math tests than children without such a weakness. Children with a double weakness scored the lowest. These results confirm the important role of both visual-spatial working memory and number sense in mathematical development.

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