The Role of a Central Executive Function in Rats' New Object Recognition Working Memory Task

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome Cohen ◽  
Caitlin Siu ◽  
Jouseph Barkho ◽  
Parvati Dadwal ◽  
Natasha Rafo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Object Recognition ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Central Executive

Exploring the Central Executive in Situation Awareness

2010 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdrabo Moghazy Soliman
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Global Assessment ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Central Executive ◽  
Driving Simulation ◽  
Assessment Technique

Despite its significance, the central executive is the least explored component of working memory, particularly in complicated contexts. Exp. 1 investigated the role of executive control of working memory in situation awareness in a real-life driving simulation. Exp. 2 examined the extent to which taxing the central executive might affect situation awareness. High, Medium, and Low Situation Awareness groups were formed as assessed using the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique. Executive function was measured using several tests. Results from Exp. 1 demonstrated that the Low Situation Awareness group performed significantly worse on all executive function tasks compared to High and Medium Situation Awareness groups. Findings from Exp. 2 suggested that concurrent load on the central executive dramatically affected the Low Situation Awareness group but not the High Situation Awareness group: the former had significantly more driving violations under central executive load.

Working Memory and Conditional Reasoning

1993 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Toms ◽  
Neil Morris ◽  
Deborah Ward
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Central Executive ◽  
Conditional Reasoning ◽  
Reasoning Task ◽  
Impaired Performance ◽  
Spatial Interference

Little is known about the role of working memory in conditional reasoning. This paper reports three experiments that examine the contributions of the visuo-spatial scratch pad (VSSP), the articulatory loop, and the central executive components of Baddeley and Hitch's (1974) model of working memory to conditional reasoning. The first experiment employs a spatial memory task that is presented concurrently with two putative spatial interference tasks (tapping and tracking), articulatory suppression, and a verbal memory load. Only the tracking and memory load impaired performance, suggesting that these tap the VSSP and central executive, respectively. Having established the potency of these interference tasks two further experiments examined the effects of tapping and tracking (Experiment 2) and articulation and memory load (Experiment 3) on a conditional reasoning task. Neither tracking nor tapping affected the number of inferences accepted or response latency. Articulation also failed to affect conditional reasoning but memory load selectively reduced acceptance of modus tollens inferences. These results are discussed in terms of both rule-based and mental models theories of reasoning. While these data cannot discriminate between the two perspectives they provide support for one of the central assumptions in each: that some errors in reasoning are attributable directly to working memory demands. Taken together these experiments suggest that conditional reasoning requires an abstract working memory medium for representation; it does not require either the VSSP or the articulatory loop. It is concluded that the central executive provides the necessary substrate.

scholarly journals Social Skills Intervention Participation and Associated Improvements in Executive Function Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn E. Christ ◽  
Janine P. Stichter ◽  
Karen V. O’Connor ◽  
Kimberly Bodner ◽  
Amanda J. Moffitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Social Competence ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Mixing Costs ◽  
Adolescents With Asd

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication. It has been postulated that such difficulties are related to disruptions in underlying cognitive processes such as executive function. The present study examined potential changes in executive function performance associated with participation in the Social Competence Intervention (SCI) program, a short-term intervention designed to improve social competence in adolescents with ASD. Laboratory behavioral performance measures were used to separately evaluate potential intervention-related changes in individual executive function component processes (i.e., working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) in a sample of 22 adolescents with ASD both before and after intervention. For comparison purposes, a demographically matched sample of 14 individuals without ASD was assessed at identical time intervals. Intervention-related improvements were observed on the working memory task, with gains evident in spatial working memory and, to a slightly lesser degree, verbal working memory. Significant improvements were also found for a working memory-related aspect of the task switching test (i.e., mixing costs). Taken together, these findings provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that participation in the SCI program is accompanied by changes in underlying neurocognitive processes such as working memory.

THE ROLE OF DOPAMINE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF WORKING MEMORY IN PREFRONTAL CORTEX NEURONS: INPUT-DRIVEN VERSUS INTERNALLY-DRIVEN NETWORKS

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (04) ◽  
pp. 249-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
MASSIMILIANO VERSACE ◽  
MARCO ZORZI
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Biologically Inspired ◽  
Sustained Activity ◽  
Continuous Stream ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Relevant Pattern

How do organisms select and organize relevant sensory input in working memory (WM) in order to deal with constantly changing environmental cues? Once information has been stored in WM, how is it protected from and altered by the continuous stream of sensory input and internally generated planning? The present study proposes a novel role for dopamine (DA) in the maintenance of WM in the prefrontal cortex (Pfc) neurons that begins to address these issues. In particular, DA mediates the alternation of the Pfc network between input-driven and internally-driven states, which in turn drives WM updates and storage. A biologically inspired neural network model of Pfc is formulated to provide a link between the mechanisms of state switching and the biophysical properties of Pfc neurons. This model belongs to the recurrent competitive fields33 class of dynamical systems which have been extensively mathematically characterized and exhibit the two functional states of interest: input-driven and internally-driven. This hypothesis was tested with two working memory tasks of increasing difficulty: a simple working memory task and a delayed alternation task. The results suggest that optimal WM storage in spite of noise is achieved with a phasic DA input followed by a lower DA sustained activity. Hypo and hyper-dopaminergic activity that alter this ideal pattern lead to increased distractibility from non-relevant pattern and prolonged perseverations on presented patterns, respectively.

scholarly journals The Role of Critical Thinking and Executive Function in Misconceptions in Psychology

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-21
Author(s):  
Heru Astikasari Setya Murti ◽  
Thomas Dicky Hastjarjo ◽  
Bhina Patria
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Card Sorting

Misconception in psychology is a belief that is broadly contradicting to scientific evidence and is particularlycommon in the field of psychology. It is important to study misconceptions in psychology considering thecontribution of the effort to provide education or to demonstrate rejection of fallacies of popular ideas/themes.Misconceptions in psychology relates to critical thinking as well as the executive function (EF) that controls andregulates cognitive processes. This research aims to determine the role of critical thinking and EF (cognitiveflexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control) with misconceptions in psychology. This study used non-experimental methods, using test (paper and pencil) and PEBL/ Psychology Experiment Building Language(computerized). The sampling technique used was convenience sampling. The subjects in this study were 153psychology students, consisting of 105 students from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and 48 students fromUniversitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY). Instruments that were used for data collection were the misconception inpsychology test, critical thinking test, Wisconsin/Berg Card Sorting Test (WCST/BCST), Backward Digit Span,and Stroop Test. There is no correlation between cognitive flexibility and misconceptions in psychology, socognitive flexibility is not included in the calculation of hierarchical regression analysis. Based on the results ofhierarchical regression analysis, it can be concluded that the role of inhibitory control on psychologicalmisconceptions is 11.4%, ΔR2 = .114; b* = .33; t(149) = 4.52, p < .001; the role of working memory is 3%, ΔR2 =.030; b* = -.16; t(149) = -2.19, p = .03; and the role of critical thinking is 2.6%, ΔR2 = .026; b* = -.19; t(149) = -2.53, p = .01.

scholarly journals Exploring the Inner Workings of Neuron Circuits That Exhibit Persistent Activity To Explain How Working Memory and Executive Function Are Implemented in The Brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Persistent Activity ◽  
Storage Mechanism ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Task Processing ◽  
The Brain

In this research we explore in detail how a phenomenon called sustained persistent activity is achieved by circuits of interconnected neurons. Persistent activity is a phenomenon that has been extensively studied (Papoutsi et al. 2013; Kaminski et. al. 2017; McCormick et al. 2003; Rahman, and Berger, 2011). Persistent activity consists in neuron circuits whose spiking activity remains even after the initial stimuli are removed. Persistent activity has been found in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and has been correlated to working memory and decision making (Clayton E. Curtis and Daeyeol Lee, 2010). We go beyond the explanation of how persistent activity happens and show how arrangements of those basic circuits encode and store data and are used to perform more elaborated tasks and computations. The purpose of the model we propose here is to describe the minimum number of neurons and their interconnections required to explain persistent activity and how this phenomenon is actually a fast storage mechanism required for implementing working memory, task processing and decision making.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document