scholarly journals Listening to Mozart Does Not Enhance Backwards Digit Span Performance

1997 ◽  
Vol 84 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1179-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth M. Steele ◽  
Tamera N. Ball ◽  
Rebecca Runk
Keyword(s):  
Digit Span ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Reverse Order ◽  
Temporary Increase ◽  
Mozart Effect ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Stimulus Period ◽  
Treatment Conditions ◽  
Within Subjects

Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky recently reported that exposure to brief periods of music by Mozart produced a temporary increase in performance on tasks taken from the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-TV. The present study examined whether this effect occurred in performance on a backwards digit span task. In a within-subjects design 36 undergraduates were exposed to 10–min. periods of Mozart music, a recording of rain, or silence. After each stimulus period, undergraduates had three attempts to hear and recall different 9–digit strings in reverse order. No significant differences among treatment conditions were found. There was a significant effect of practice. Results are discussed in terms of the need to isolate the conditions responsible for production of the Mozart effect.

scholarly journals A-160 Understanding the Validity of the Digit Span Sequencing Task: A Least Executive Demand Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 954-954
Author(s):  
Romano Morris J ◽  
Lazar M ◽  
Henry J
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Demand Model ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Functioning Inventory ◽  
Attentional Difficulties ◽  
Sequencing Task

Abstract Objective This study aimed to explore the patterns of Longest Digit Span from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V), including understanding the newest sequencing condition. While there is a large body of research discriminating the cognitive demands of the forward and backward conditions, there is less literature devoted to the cognitive underpinnings of the sequencing task, and no studies looking at the applicability of this task with children. Patterns observed clinically on these conditions have suggested that the sequencing condition may involve less executive demand than the backwards condition (Least Executive Demand model). Therefore, it was predicted that Longest Digit Span Backwards (LDSB) would predict the most amount of variance in Working Memory scores on the Comprehensive Executive Functioning Inventory (CEFI). Method Hierarchal multiple regression analysis controlling for FSIQ was completed utilizing an archival database (n = 38) of children and adolescences (ages 6–15) referred to a university-based neuropsychological assessment clinic. Results Longest digit span scores were not significant predictors of Working Memory scores on the CEFI [F (4, 27) =1.746, p = .169]. However, digit span capacity was weakly predictive of CEFI Attention scores [F (4, 27) = 2.818, p < .05; R2 = .295]; with sequencing capacity as the only significant predictor (beta = .62, p < .05). Conclusions While there was no evidence that working memory capacity predicts real world working memory skills, there was evidence that digit sequencing capacity is predictive of parent reported attentional difficulties. Poor performance on DSS in children may be due to difficulties concentrating, sustaining attention or with avoiding distractions.

Wisc Factor Structure for Normal Negro Pre-School Children

1964 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Travis Osborne
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
School Children ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Block Design ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Picture Arrangement ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Intercorrelation Matrix

In order to estimate the dimensionality of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, factor analysis was applied to a 30 by 30 intercorrelation matrix of the WISC and four reference tests. The 10 standard WISC subtests, except Coding, were split into two, three, or four parts to yield as many variables as possible. Ss, were 111 Negro pre-school children; mean age, 6 yr. 1 mo.; the mean full scale IQ was 84. Evidence is presented supporting 10 statistically significant orthogonal dimensions. Not all factors are perfectly congruent with the subtest structure of the WISC or concordant with the results of prior factorizations of the WISC at the pre-school level. There is no factor for Block Design apart from Picture Arrangement. The Digit Span subtest splits involve three different WISC factors, two are from the performance section of the test and one is from the verbal section. Coding is involved in only one factor; Manipulation of Areas, one of the non-verbal reference tests. At least 7 of the 10 significant pre-school factors are readily identified by WISC subtests or combinations of WISC subtests.

scholarly journals Why expressive suppression does not pay? Cognitive costs of negative emotion suppression: The mediating role of subjective tense-arousal

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Szczygieł ◽  
Tomasz Maruszewski
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Expressive Suppression ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Problem Solving Task

Abstract The aim of this paper was to contribute to a broader understanding of the cognitive consequences of expressive suppression. Specifically, we examined whether the deteriorating effect of expressive suppression on cognitive functioning is caused by tense arousal enhanced by suppression. Two experiments were performed in order to test this prediction. In both studies we tested the effect of expressive suppression on working memory, as measured with a backwards digit-span task (Study 1, N = 43) and anagram problem-solving task (Study 2, N = 60). In addition, in Study 2 we tested whether expressive suppression degrades memory of the events that emerged during the period of expressive suppression. Both studies were conducted in a similar design: Participants watched a film clip which evoked negative emotions (i.e. disgust in Study 1 and a combination of sadness and anxiety in Study 2) under the instruction to suppress those negative emotions or (in the control condition) to simply watch the film. The results of these experiments lead to three conclusions. First, the results reveal that expressive suppression degrades memory of the events that emerged during the period of expressive suppression and leads to poorer performance on working memory tasks, as measured with a backwards digit-span task and anagram problem-solving task. Second, the results indicate that expressive suppression leads to a significant increase in subjective tense arousal. Third, the results support our prediction that expressive suppression decreases cognitive performance through its effects on subjective tense arousal. The results of the Study 1 show that tense arousal activated during expressive suppression of disgust fully mediates the negative effect of suppression on working memory as measured with a backwards digit-span task. The results of Study 2 reveal that subjective tense arousal elicited while suppressing sadness and anxiety mediates both the effect of suppression on working memory - as measured with the anagram task - and memory of the events that occurred during the period of suppression.

scholarly journals P50 Gating is Not Affected by Selective Attention

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan H. Kho ◽  
Robbert J. Verkes ◽  
Paul Eling ◽  
Machiel J. Zwarts ◽  
Bart Ellenbroek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Evoked Potential ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Auditory Evoked Potential ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Specific Task ◽  
Attention Condition ◽  
Difference Scores ◽  
Distraction Condition

Abstract The influence of selective attention on P50 gating - the decline of the amplitude of the P50 component of the auditory evoked potential (AEP) to the second of a pair of clicks - was examined. Three conditions were presented in counterbalanced order to 29 healthy volunteers: a baseline condition, in which the double click was presented and no specific task was required, an attention condition in which attention to the clicks was required, and a distraction condition in which paired clicks were presented during rehearsal time of a reversed digit span task. P50 gating, as measured with ratio and difference scores, did not differ across the three conditions. However, the amplitude of the N100 showed an increase in the attention condition compared to the two nonattention conditions, supporting the validity of our task manipulations. The data on P50 demonstrate that P50 gating is not affected by attentional manipulations.

Arithmetic

1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Selikowitz
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Intelligence Test ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Number Facts ◽  
Shed Light

Specific difficulties have been described in a number of areas of mathematics, but difficulty in arithmetic has received the most attention. This may be because all children are required to do arithmetical calculations in the early years of school, but can choose alternative subjects later, and it probably also reflects the fact that arithmetical calculations play an important part in everyday life. Another reason may be that arithmetical difficulty following brain damage in adulthood (dyscalculia) is a well-recognized and well-studied entity. This chapter will focus on specific arithmetic difficulty in children, that is, unexplained, significant delay in arithmetic ability. Although specific arithmetic difficulty was once considered rare, there is now evidence that it is not as uncommon as was previously thought. The psychologist may obtain sufficient information about the child’s arithmetical ability from the Arithmetic section (sub-test) of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). This is a commonly used intelligence test that can be used for children from 6 years to 16 years 11 months. This test does not require the child to write down the answers. The problems are timed and they relate to various arithmetical skills. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division can all be tested. Some problems also require memorized number facts and subtle operations, such as seeing relevant relationships at a glance. The emphasis of the test is not on mathematical knowledge as such, but on mental computations and concentration. The WISC-IV will also give the psychologist information about other abilities, which may shed light on the child’s difficulties. In the Digit Span sub-test, the child’s ability to remember numbers for a short period is tested. In the Comprehension sub-test, verbal reasoning is involved. If, for example, a child has high comprehension but low arithmetic scores, this may suggest that reasoning ability is adequate in social situations, but not in situations involving numbers. If the psychologist wants further information on arithmetic ability, there are a number of tests that specifically test mathematical skills and allow these to be compared with those of other children of the same age.

scholarly journals A-196 BVRT Copy and Memory Trial Omission Errors Are Associated With Working Memory and Auditory Comprehension Deficits

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 991-991
Author(s):  
Vickery A ◽  
Moses J ◽  
Boese A ◽  
Maciel R ◽  
Lyu J
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Benton Visual Retention Test ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence ◽  
Omission Errors

Abstract Objective The goal of this study is to examine the cognitive factors that account for omission errors on the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) copy and memory trials using factorial indices based on raw subtest scores of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III) and the Multilingual Aphasia Examination (MAE). Method Participants were referred for assessment at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. One hundred and forty-three participants were sampled. BVRT omission error scores for the copy and memory trials were factor analyzed with age, education level, WAIS-III Digit Span Forward (DSpF), and Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS). These variables were refactored with the spoken language components of the MAE (naming, repetition, verbal fluency, and auditory comprehension). Results BVRT copy and memory omission scores were factorially grouped with age and inversely correlated with LNS. A second factor was composed of positive loadings on DSpF, LNS, and education. The BVRT Copy-and-Memory-Omissions-Age-LNS component was inversely and specifically related to the MAE measure of auditory comprehension. The Digit Span Forward-LNS-Education variable loaded strongly on the MAE Repetition component and secondarily on the MAE Verbal Fluency and Naming components. Conclusions BVRT copy and memory trial omission errors are strongly and specifically related to failure of auditory comprehension. Errors of this type are not related to the other three components of spoken language.

Individual Differences and Reliability of Information Transmission in Absolute Judgments of Loudness, Brightness and Line Lengths

1974 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 239-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen G. Landau ◽  
Monte S. Buchsbaum ◽  
Richard Coppola ◽  
Miriam Sihvonen
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Information Transmission ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Line Length ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Transmission Of Information ◽  
Processing Facility ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Mean

Information transmission, as estimated from absolute judgments of loudness, brightness and line length, was measured in 35 normal Ss. Each S was tested on all modalities on each of three days. Individuals varied widely in their ability to transmit information and were consistent across modalities and days; reliabilities for loudness, brightness and line length between Days 2 and 3 were 0.72, 0.81, and 0.89 respectively. The mean intercorrelation between modalities was 0.40. WAIS Digit Span but no other intelligence scale was positively correlated with transmission of information. The results suggest the existence of a single information-processing facility in the central nervous system.

Basic skills in a complex task: A graphical model relating memory and lexical retrieval to simultaneous interpreting

2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
INGRID K. CHRISTOFFELS ◽  
ANNETTE M. B. DE GROOT ◽  
LOURENS J. WALDORP
Keyword(s):  
Graphical Models ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Graphical Model ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Lexical Retrieval ◽  
Translation Efficiency ◽  
Reading Span ◽  
Simultaneous Interpreting ◽  
Word Translation

Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is a complex skill, where language comprehension and production take place at the same time in two different languages. In this study we identified some of the basic cognitive skills involved in SI, focusing on the roles of memory and lexical retrieval. We administered a reading span task in two languages and a verbal digit span task in the native language to assess memory capacity, and a picture naming and a word translation task to tap the retrieval time of lexical items in two languages, and we related performance on these four tasks to interpreting skill in untrained bilinguals. The results showed that word translation and picture naming latencies correlate with interpreting performance. Also digit span and reading span were associated with SI performance, only less strongly so. A graphical models analysis indicated that specifically word translation efficiency and working memory form independent subskills of SI performance in untrained bilinguals.

scholarly journals B - 49Comparison of Computerized Versus Oral Administration of the Digit Span Task

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 703-794
Author(s):  
J Beach ◽  
S Aita ◽  
A Francia ◽  
D Lamay ◽  
S Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Administration ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Span Task

Time Estimation: Effects of Cognitive Task, Presentation Rate, and Delay

1996 ◽  
Vol 83 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1387-1394 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Vitulli ◽  
Heather A. Shepard
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Presentation Rate ◽  
Time Estimation ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Subjective Time ◽  
Allocation Model ◽  
Mixed Analysis ◽  
Within Subjects

The variables of which subjective time is a function extend throughout a myriad of “people, places, and things.” This study measured subjective estimations of time as a function of complexity of cognitive task including arithmetic and recall (within subjects), the rate of stimulus (digit span) information (between subjects), and the delay between stimulus presentation and estimations of time (between subjects). A mixed analysis of variance 2 × 2 × 3 (repeated-measures) factorial design showed that retrospective time estimations were significantly different as a function of the main effects of rate of digit presentation and delay. Men and women showed no differences with no significant interactions so their data were pooled. Quotient values for ratios of delayed versus immediate estimates and slow versus fast rates showed overestimates of “real time.” Explanations based on the “storage-size model,” the “attention-allocation” model, and comparisons with Pedri and Hesketh's 1993 data are discussed.

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