Working Memory Capacity and a Notorious Brain Teaser

2006 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim De Neys ◽  
Niki Verschueren
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Normative Reasoning ◽  
Monty Hall Dilemma ◽  
Monty Hall ◽  
Memory Resources

Abstract. The Monty Hall Dilemma (MHD) is an intriguing example of the discrepancy between people’s intuitions and normative reasoning. This study examines whether the notorious difficulty of the MHD is associated with limitations in working memory resources. Experiment 1 and 2 examined the link between MHD reasoning and working memory capacity. Experiment 3 tested the role of working memory experimentally by burdening the executive resources with a secondary task. Results showed that participants who solved the MHD correctly had a significantly higher working memory capacity than erroneous responders. Correct responding also decreased under secondary task load. Findings indicate that working memory capacity plays a key role in overcoming salient intuitions and selecting the correct switching response during MHD reasoning.

scholarly journals The role of working memory capacity in evaluative judgments of liking and beauty

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiajia Che ◽  
Xiaolei Sun ◽  
Martin Skov ◽  
Oshin Vartanian ◽  
Jaume Rossello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Visual Art ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Evaluative Judgments ◽  
Memory Resources

Judgments of liking and beauty appear to be expressions of a common hedonic state, but they differ in how they engage cognitive processes. We hypothesized that beauty judgments place greater demands on limited executive resources than judgments of liking. We tested this hypothesis by asking two groups of participants to judge works of visual art for their beauty or liking while having to remember the location of 1, 3, or 5 dots in a 4 by 4 matrix. We also examined the effect of individual differences in working memory capacity. Our results show that holding information about the location of the dots in working memory delayed judgments of beauty but not of liking. Also, the greater participants’ working memory capacity, the faster they completed the working memory task when judging liking, but not when judging beauty. Our study provides evidence that judging beauty draws more on working memory resources than judging liking.

When does anxiety help or hinder cognitive test performance? The role of working memory capacity

2012 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Owens ◽  
Jim Stevenson ◽  
Julie A. Hadwin ◽  
Roger Norgate
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Cognitive Test Performance

The Role of Working Memory Capacity in Multiple-Cue Probability Learning

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (8) ◽  
pp. 1494-1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Rolison ◽  
Jonathan St B. T. Evans ◽  
Clare R. Walsh ◽  
Ian Dennis
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Probability Learning ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity

Paying attention to speech: The role of working memory capacity and professional experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 (7) ◽  
pp. 3594-3605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bar Lambez ◽  
Galit Agmon ◽  
Paz Har-Shai Yahav ◽  
Yuri Rassovsky ◽  
Elana Zion Golumbic
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Professional Experience
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