The art of planning ahead: when do we prepare for the future and when is it effective? (under review)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Huijser ◽  
Niels Anne Taatgen ◽  
Marieke K. van Vugt
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Task Preparation ◽  
Memory Integration ◽  
The Future ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Consistent Support

Preparing for the future during ongoing activities is an essential skill. Yet, it is currently unclear to what extent we can prepare for the future in parallel with another task. In two experiments, we investigated how characteristics of a present task influenced whether and when participants prepared for the future, as well as its usefulness. We focused on the influence of concurrent working memory load, assuming that working memory would interfere most strongly with preparation. In both experiments, participants performed a novel sequential dual-task paradigm, in which they could voluntary prepare for a second task while performing a first task. We identified task preparation by means of eye tracking, through detecting when participants switched their gaze from the first to the second task. The results showed that participants prepared productively, as evidenced by faster RTs on the second task, with only a small cost to the present task. The probability of preparation and its productiveness decreased with general increases in present task difficulty. In contrast to our prediction, we found some but no consistent support for influence of concurrent working memory load on preparation. Only for concurrent high working memory load (i.e., two items in memory), we observed strong interference with preparation. We conclude that preparation is affected by present task difficulty, potentially due to decreased opportunities for preparation and changes in multitasking strategy. Furthermore, the interference from holding two items may reflect that concurrent preparation is compromised when working memory integration is required by both processes.

scholarly journals Incidental change detection and working memory load in a dual-task paradigm

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 554-554
Author(s):  
B. L. Angelone ◽  
M. R. Beck ◽  
D. T. Levin
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Change Detection ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm

scholarly journals Working memory and decision making in children with ADHD: an analysis of delay discounting with the use of the dual-task paradigm

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Angela Fabio ◽  
Marilla Bianco ◽  
Tindara Caprì ◽  
Flavia Marino ◽  
Liliana Ruta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Delayed Discounting

Abstract Background Deficits in working memory tasks have been widely documented in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of working memory load in impulsivity during decision-making processes. A delayed discounting (DD) paradigm was used, comparing children with ADHD and age-matched controls. Method Thirty-two children equally divided between typically developing and ADHD, from 8 to 10 years of age were assigned to sessions of a dual-task paradigm. In the primary task the child has to choose between two different amounts of money at different time delays, while in the secondary task the child has to repeat a random series of digits with different lengths. The experiment was conducted in a school setting. Results Compared to peers with typical development, delayed discounting was significantly stronger in children with ADHD and discounting rates increased in both groups for heavier memory loads. Furthermore, the memory load impact on frequency of immediate rewards was stronger in children with ADHD compared to typically developing children. Discussion Results are discussed in terms of the relation between working memory load and decision-making processes, their impact on impulsive behaviour in ADHD and the need for future research to understand possible neurocognitive correlates and use that information to develop better inclusive policies.

scholarly journals Working Memory and Decision making in children with ADHD: an analysis of delay discounting with the use of the dual-task paradigm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Angela Fabio ◽  
Marilla Bianco ◽  
Tindara Caprì ◽  
Flavia Marino ◽  
Liliana Ruta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Delayed Discounting

Abstract Objective: Deficits in working memory tasks have been widely documented in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of working memory load in impulsivity during decision-making processes. A delayed discounting (DD) paradigm was used, comparing children with ADHD and age-matched controls. Method: Thirty-two children equally divided between typically developing and ADHD, from 8 to 10 years of age were assigned to sessions of a dual-task paradigm. In the primary task the child has to choice between two different amounts of money at different time delays, while in the secondary task the child has to repeat a random series of digits with different lengths. The experiment was conducted in a school setting. Results: Compared to peers with typical development, delayed discounting was significantly stronger in children with ADHD and discounting rates increased in both groups for heavier memory loads. Furthermore, the memory load impact on frequency of immediate rewards was stronger in children with ADHD compared to typically developing children. Discussion: Results are discussed in terms of the relation between working memory load and decision-making processes, their impact on impulsive behaviour in ADHD and the need for future research to understand possible neurocognitive correlates and use those information to develop better inclusive policies.

scholarly journals Working Memory and Decision making in children with ADHD: an analysis of delay discounting with the use of the dual-task paradigm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Angela Fabio ◽  
Marilla Bianco ◽  
Tindara Caprì ◽  
Flavia Marino ◽  
Liliana Ruta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Delayed Discounting

Abstract Objective Deficits in working memory tasks have been widely documented in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of working memory load in impulsivity during decision-making processes. A delayed discounting (DD) paradigm was used, comparing children with ADHD and age matched controls. Method Thirty-two children equally divided with typical development or ADHD between 8 and 10 years of age were assigned to sessions of a dual-task paradigm. The first task was a forced dual choice between different amount of moneys at different time delay, while the second task was the repetition of a random series of digits with different lengths. Results Compared to peers with typical development, delayed discounting was significantly stronger in children with ADHD and for heavier memory load conditions. Furthermore, the memory load impact was stronger in children with ADHD compared to children with typical development. Discussion Results are discussed in terms of the relation between working memory load and decision-making processes.

Increased Working Memory Load in a Dual-Task Design Impairs Nonverbal Social Encoding in Children with High and Low Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-137
Author(s):  
Dane C. Hilton ◽  
Matthew A. Jarrett ◽  
Ana T. Rondon ◽  
Josh Tutek ◽  
Mazheruddin M. Mulla
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Task Design ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

scholarly journals Increasing Working Memory Load Reduces Processing of Cross-Modal Task-Irrelevant Stimuli Even after Controlling for Task Difficulty and Executive Capacity

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon S. Simon ◽  
Erich S. Tusch ◽  
Phillip J. Holcomb ◽  
Kirk R. Daffner
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Task Irrelevant

Verbal Working Memory Load Affects Regional Brain Activation as Measured by PET

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 462-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Jonides ◽  
Eric H. Schumacher ◽  
Edward E. Smith ◽  
Erick J. Lauber ◽  
Edward Awh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Executive Processes ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
The One ◽  
Reliable Increase

We report an experiment that assesses the effect of variations in memory load on brain activations that mediate verbal working memory. The paradigm that forms the basis of this experiment is the “n-back” task in which subjects must decide for each letter in a series whether it matches the one presented n items back in the series. This task is of interest because it recruits processes involved in both the storage and manipulation of information in working memory. Variations in task difficulty were accomplished by varying the value of n. As n increased, subjects showed poorer behavioral performance as well as monotonically increasing magnitudes of brain activation in a large number of sites that together have been identified with verbal working-memory processes. By contrast, there was no reliable increase in activation in sites that are unrelated to working memory. These results validate the use of parametric manipulation of task variables in neuroimaging research, and they converge with the subtraction paradigm used most often in neuroimaging. In addition, the data support a model of working memory that includes both storage and executive processes that recruit a network of brain areas, all of which are involved in task performance.

scholarly journals Distinguishing cognitive effort and working memory load using scale-invariance and alpha suppression in EEG

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Kardan ◽  
Kirsten C. S. Adam ◽  
Irida Mance ◽  
Nathan W. Churchill ◽  
Edward K. Vogel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Scale Invariance ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Set Size ◽  
Neural Signature

Despite being intuitive, cognitive effort has proven difficult to quantify. In the current study we validated the correspondence between scale-invariance (H) of cortical activity recorded by EEG and task load during two working memory (WM) experiments with varying set sizes. We used this neural signature to disentangle cognitive effort from the number of items in WM. Our results showed monotonic decreases in H with increased set size, even after set size exceeded WM capacity. This behavior of H contrasted with behavioral performance and an oscillatory indicator of WM load (i.e., alpha-band desynchronization), both of which showed a plateau at difficulty levels surpassing WM capacity. This is the first reported evidence for the suppression of scale-invariance in EEG due to task difficulty, and our work suggest that H suppression may be used to quantify changes in effort even when working memory load is constant and at maximum capacity.

Visual Search Facilitation in Repeated Displays Depends on Visuospatial Working Memory

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela A. Manginelli ◽  
Franziska Geringswald ◽  
Stefan Pollmann
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Control Experiment ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Contextual Cueing ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Memory Resources

When distractor configurations are repeated over time, visual search becomes more efficient, even if participants are unaware of the repetition. This contextual cueing is a form of incidental, implicit learning. One might therefore expect that contextual cueing does not (or only minimally) rely on working memory resources. This, however, is debated in the literature. We investigated contextual cueing under either a visuospatial or a nonspatial (color) visual working memory load. We found that contextual cueing was disrupted by the concurrent visuospatial, but not by the color working memory load. A control experiment ruled out that unspecific attentional factors of the dual-task situation disrupted contextual cueing. Visuospatial working memory may be needed to match current display items with long-term memory traces of previously learned displays.

Age, Working Memory Load, and the Extraction of Distance in a Real-World Environment

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Gajewski ◽  
Courtney P. Wallin ◽  
John W. Philbeck
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Real World ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
World Environment
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document