scholarly journals Emotional Facial Processing: Does Cognitive Load Make a Difference?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsie Ong ◽  
Rick Law Tsz Chun
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Emotional Faces ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Facial Processing

<p>The manuscript is titled ‘Emotional facial processing: does cognitive load make a difference?’ and it describes a research study that measures how emotion and distraction of different cognitive loads may impact working memory performance. The findings show that cognitive load on working memory performance, with poorer working memory performance in the high compared to the low level of distraction. However, no effects of emotional faces were found on task performance. The work therefore has significance with regard to cognitive processing and working memory span.</p>

scholarly journals Emotional Facial Processing: Does Cognitive Load Make a Difference?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsie Ong ◽  
Rick Law Tsz Chun
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Emotional Faces ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Facial Processing

<p>The manuscript is titled ‘Emotional facial processing: does cognitive load make a difference?’ and it describes a research study that measures how emotion and distraction of different cognitive loads may impact working memory performance. The findings show that cognitive load on working memory performance, with poorer working memory performance in the high compared to the low level of distraction. However, no effects of emotional faces were found on task performance. The work therefore has significance with regard to cognitive processing and working memory span.</p>

scholarly journals Working Memory Performance under a Negative Affect Is More Susceptible to Higher Cognitive Workloads with Different Neural Haemodynamic Correlates

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 935
Author(s):  
Ying Xing Feng ◽  
Masashi Kiguchi ◽  
Wei Chun Ung ◽  
Sarat Chandra Dass ◽  
Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Affective Factors ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Haemodynamic Activity

The effect of stress on task performance is complex, too much or too little stress negatively affects performance and there exists an optimal level of stress to drive optimal performance. Task difficulty and external affective factors are distinct stressors that impact cognitive performance. Neuroimaging studies showed that mood affects working memory performance and the correlates are changes in haemodynamic activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We investigate the interactive effects of affective states and working memory load (WML) on working memory task performance and haemodynamic activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging on the PFC of healthy participants. We seek to understand if haemodynamic responses could tell apart workload-related stress from situational stress arising from external affective distraction. We found that the haemodynamic changes towards affective stressor- and workload-related stress were more dominant in the medial and lateral PFC, respectively. Our study reveals distinct affective state-dependent modulations of haemodynamic activity with increasing WML in n-back tasks, which correlate with decreasing performance. The influence of a negative effect on performance is greater at higher WML, and haemodynamic activity showed evident changes in temporal, and both spatial and strength of activation differently with WML.

Visuospatial Working Memory Deficits and Visual Pursuit Impairments are Not Directly Related in Schizophrenia

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 766-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Cocchi ◽  
Francesca Bosisio ◽  
Olivia Carter ◽  
Stephen J. Wood ◽  
André Berchtold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Correct Choice ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Visual Pursuit ◽  
Scanning Time ◽  
Time Scanning ◽  
Correct Path

Objective: Patients with schizophrenia show deficits in visuospatial working memory and visual pursuit processes. It is currently unclear, however, whether both impairments are related to a common neuropathological origin. The purpose of the present study was therefore to examine the possible relations between the encoding and the discrimination of dynamic visuospatial stimuli in schizophrenia. Method: Sixteen outpatients with schizophrenia and 16 control subjects were asked to encode complex disc displacements presented on a screen. After a delay, participants had to identify the previously presented disc trajectory from a choice of six static linear paths, among which were five incorrect paths. The precision of visual pursuit eye movements during the initial presentation of the dynamic stimulus was assessed. The fixations and scanning time in definite regions of the six paths presented during the discrimination phase were investigated. Results: In comparison with controls, patients showed poorer task performance, reduced pursuit accuracy during incorrect trials and less time scanning the correct stimulus or the incorrect paths approximating its global structure. Patients also spent less time scanning the leftmost portion of the correct path even when making a correct choice. The accuracy of visual pursuit and head movements, however, was not correlated with task performance. Conclusions: The present study provides direct support for the hypothesis that active integration of visuospatial information within working memory is deficient in schizophrenia. In contrast, a general impairment of oculomotor mechanisms involved in smooth pursuit did not appear to be directly related to lower visuospatial working memory performance in schizophrenia.

Laterality of Lesions and Trait-Anxiety on Working Memory Performance

2002 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 551-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
William D. S. Killgore
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Brain Lesion ◽  
Cerebral Activation ◽  
The Right

An asymmetry of anterior cerebral activation favoring the right hemisphere has been associated with dispositional negative affect including trait-anxiety, while the opposite appears true of cerebral asymmetry favoring the left hemisphere. It was hypothesized that an asymmetry of cerebral activation, as defined by scores on a measure of trait-anxiety, ipsilateral to the side of an anterior brain lesion would be associated with less efficient cognitive processing than greater activation in the hemisphere contralateral to the lesion. Patients with anterior left ( n = 16) or right ( n = 15) hemisphere lesions completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and several neurocognitive tasks. Of the abilities tested, only Digit Span scores showed an interaction between side of lesion and presumed activation asymmetry. Patients with right- but not with left-hemisphere damage showed significant differences in working memory performance depending on the presumed direction of asymmetry of the two hemispheres, supporting the dual roles of the right hemisphere in affective processing and directed attention.

Cognitive Load Modulates the Effect of Emotional Content in Adaptive Working Memory Performance

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco J. Roman ◽  
Juan Botella ◽  
Maria J. Garcia-Rubio ◽  
Jesus Privado ◽  
Sara Lopez-Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Emotional Content

How task demands influence time-based prospective memory performance in young and older adults

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Martin ◽  
Ruth Schumann-Hengsteler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Processing Demands ◽  
Prospective Memory Performance

Prospective memory performance as a measure of everyday cognitive functioning is of increasing importance for developmental research. However, comparisons of studies on prospective memory development in adults reveal essential differences. Although some studies report no age effects, others find age effects of widely varying magnitudes. We suggest that differences in these findings on prospective memory performance can be explained by an age by task interaction (i.e., large amounts of cognitive load imposed by time-based prospective memory tasks disproportionally penalise older adults who possess fewer cognitive resources). We explored our hypothesis in a study with 90 young adults (M = 24.0 years) and 75 older adults (M = 69.0 years) by manipulating the overall cognitive processing demands of the prospective task situation. We varied the cognitive load of the background task while holding constant the time-based prospective memory task. Results indicate that the effects of increased overall processing demands strongly influence older adults’ performance. Results are discussed within the framework of capacity explanations of cognitive ageing that focus on the role of working memory resources in monitoring processes.

Verbal and visual-spatial working memory performance in Arabic monolingual and English/Arabic bilingual Kuwaiti children

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S369-S369
Author(s):  
F. Khashawi
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Spatial Span ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Visual 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.

scholarly journals Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) impairs visual working memory performance: A randomized crossover trial

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten C. S. Adam ◽  
Manoj K. Doss ◽  
Elisa Pabon ◽  
Edward K. Vogel ◽  
Harriet de Wit
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Visual Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Metacognitive Accuracy

AbstractWith the increasing prevalence of legal cannabis use and availability, there is an urgent need to identify cognitive impairments related to its use. It is widely believed that cannabis, or its main psychoactive component Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), impairs working memory, i.e., the ability to temporarily hold information in mind. However, our review of the literature yielded surprisingly little empirical support for an effect of THC or cannabis on working memory. We thus conducted a study with 3 main goals: (1) quantify the effect of THC on visual working memory in a well-powered sample (2) test the potential role of cognitive effects (mind wandering and metacognition) in disrupting working memory, and (3) demonstrate how insufficient sample size and task duration reduce the likelihood of detecting a drug effect. We conducted two double-blind, randomized crossover experiments in which healthy adults (N=23, 23) performed a reliable and validated visual working memory task (the “Discrete Whole-Report task”, 90 trials) after administration of THC (7.5 and/or 15 mg oral) or placebo. We also assessed self-reported ‘mind wandering’ (Exp 1) and metacognitive accuracy about ongoing task performance (Exp 2). THC impaired working memory performance (d = .65), increased mind wandering (Exp 1), and decreased metacognitive accuracy about task performance (Exp 2). Thus, our findings indicate that THC does impair visual working memory, and that this impairment may be related to both increased mind-wandering and decreased monitoring of task performance. Finally, we used a down-sampling procedure to illustrate the effects of task length and sample size on power to detect the acute effect of THC on working memory.

scholarly journals A-048 Semantic, Not Phonetic, Working Memory Performance Predicts Variation in Reading Comprehension in a Mixed Sample

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 838-838
Author(s):  
Bandel L ◽  
Travis-Judd H ◽  
Schlak J ◽  
Kibby M
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Neuropsychological Battery ◽  
Comorbid Adhd

Abstract Objective Reading comprehension (RC) is the result of a combination of interrelated abilities including decoding, linguistic processing, and higher-order cognitive functions such as working memory (WM). Problems with RC are associated with deficits in verbal WM, especially on tasks involving semantic processing. Hence, this study’s aim was to determine which is the better predictor of RC when controlling for basic reading ability: semantic or phonetic WM. Semantic WM was hypothesized to be the better predictor. Methods Participants included 258 children (aged 8-13 years) with ADHD, reading disability (RD), or comorbid ADHD/RD, and typically developing controls (53.6% Male, 87.8% Caucasian). Participants completed a neuropsychological battery as part of a larger, grant-funded study (R03HD048752, R15HD065627), including the WJ-III Letter-Word Identification and Passage Comprehension subtests that were utilized to assess basic reading and RC, respectively. Participants also completed the Rhyming Words and Semantic Association subtests of the Swanson-Cognitive Processing Test, which measure phonetic WM and semantic WM, respectively. Results Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that worse performance on the semantic WM task was associated with poorer RC (Beta = 0.15; p &lt; 0.001) above and beyond basic reading (R2 change = 0.02, p &lt; .001). Phonetic WM was not related to RC when decoding was controlled despite the zero-order correlation being significant (p &lt; .001), showing much of phonetic WM’s relationship to RC may be due to basic reading requiring this skill. Conclusion Findings suggest differences in RC may be related to semantic WM functioning in children with and without RD, but not phonetic WM, when basic reading is controlled. Replication with a longitudinal design is warranted.

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