scholarly journals Measuring the development of working memory capacity: 
Example of an adaptive complex span task

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Aubry ◽  
Corentin Gonthier ◽  
Mathieu Hainselin ◽  
Béatrice Bourdin
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Complex Span Task ◽  
Cognitive Aptitude ◽  
Discriminating Power

The aim of this current article is to provide a reflection on how to estimate working memory capacity (WMC), and to investigate its developmental trajectory from eight to twenty-three years-old with a single adaptive and multimodal task. WMC is defined as both storage and manipulation of the information during a cognitive activity. This cognitive aptitude is crucial for the learning and play an important role in the intellectual functioning. WMC is strongly related to some cognitives activities such as the language comprehension, the problems solving or the mathematics. The assessment of WMC therefore seems to be essential throughout lifespan. Although WMC is domain-general, most assessments WMC are based on verbal tasks only. Furthermore, WMC measurement in the developmental studies is limited by the need to preserve discriminating power at all possible ages. The use of a short and composite complex span task adapting itself to the individual’s performance seems meet both requirements. Thus, we created a computerized task that is both multimodal (with verbal and nonverbal subtests) and adaptive to the individual’s abilities: the Adaptive Composite Complex Span (ACCES). With a sample of 724 participants aged between 8 and 23 years-old, our findings show ACCES retains high discriminating power at all chronological ages with no ceiling effect or floor effect. Theoretical and clinical implication are discussed.

The relationship between working memory capacity and simultaneous interpreting performance

Interpreting ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Simultaneous Interpreting ◽  
Signed Language ◽  
Native Signers ◽  
The Relationship

This experimental study investigated the relationship between signed language interpreters’ working memory capacity (WMC) and their simultaneous interpreting performance. Thirty-one professional Auslan (Australian Sign Language)/English interpreters participated: 14 native signers and 17 non-native signers. They completed simultaneous interpreting tasks from English into Auslan and vice versa, an English listening span task and an Auslan working memory span task; each interpreting task was followed by a short semi-structured interview. Quantitative results for the sample as a whole showed no significant correlations between bilingual WMC and overall simultaneous interpreting performance in either direction. The same trend was established for both the native signers and the non-native signers, considered as two separate groups. The findings thus suggest that professional signed language interpreters’ WMC as measured by complex span tasks is not closely associated with the overall quality of their simultaneous interpreting performance. Data regarding educational and professional background showed mixed patterns in relation to participants’ interpreting performance in each language direction. In the interviews, participants reported various triggers of cognitive overload in the simultaneous interpreting tasks (e.g. numbers, lists of items, a long time lag, dense information, fatigue) and mentioned their coping strategies (e.g. strategic omissions, summarization, generalization, adjusting time lag).

scholarly journals The Digit Span Backwards Task

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 174-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Hilbert ◽  
Tristan T. Nakagawa ◽  
Patricia Puci ◽  
Alexandra Zech ◽  
Markus Bühner
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Presentation Modality ◽  
Clinical Neuropsychology ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Dual Task Condition ◽  
Complex Span Task

Abstract. The “digit span backwards” (DSB) is the most commonly used test in clinical neuropsychology to assess working memory capacity. Yet, it remains unclear how the task is solved cognitively. The present study was conducted to examine the use of visual and verbal cognitive strategies in the DSB. Further, the relationship between the DSB and a complex span task, based on the Simultaneous Storage and Processing task ( Oberauer et al., 2003 ), was investigated. Visualizers performed better than verbalizers in the dual task condition (rPB = .23) only when the relevant digits were presented optically. Performance in the DSB correlated only weakly with the complex span task in all conditions (all τ ≤ .21). The results indicate that the processing modality is determined by the preference for a cognitive strategy rather than the presentation modality and suggest that the DSB measures different working aspects than commonly used experimental working memory tasks.

Bilingual working memory capacity of professional Auslan / English interpreters

Interpreting ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Simultaneous Interpreting ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Span Tasks ◽  
Native Signers

This study investigated bilingual working memory capacity (WMC) of 31 professional Auslan (Australian Sign Language)/English interpreters: 14 native signers and 17 non-native signers. Participants completed an English listening span task and then an Auslan working memory (WM) span task, each task followed by a brief interview. The native signers were similar to the non-native signers not only in English WMC, but also in Auslan WMC. There was no significant difference between WMC in English and Auslan when native and non-native signers were assessed as a single group. The study also found a moderate to strong, positive correlation between the interpreters’ English WMC and Auslan WMC, suggesting that both WM span tasks tapped into similar cognitive resources. In the interviews, interpreters said that they used multiple strategies to retain the to-be-remembered words/signs. The qualitative data also indicate that WM span tasks like these involve online retention of unrelated words/signs, whereas simultaneous interpreting requires temporary storage of meaningful and coherent concepts.

Measuring Working Memory Capacity With Automated Complex Span Tasks

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas S. Redick ◽  
James M. Broadway ◽  
Matt E. Meier ◽  
Princy S. Kuriakose ◽  
Nash Unsworth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Reading Span ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Span Tasks

Individual differences in working memory capacity are related to a variety of behaviors both within and outside of the lab. Recently developed automated complex span tasks have contributed to increasing our knowledge concerning working memory capacity by making valid and reliable assessments freely available for use by researchers. Combining the samples from three testing locations yielded data from over 6,000 young adult participants who performed at least one of three such tasks (Operation, Symmetry, and Reading Span). Normative data are presented here for researchers interested in applying cutoffs for their own applications, and information on the validity and reliability of the tasks is also reported. In addition, the data were analyzed as a function of sex and college status. While automated complex span tasks are just one way to measure working memory capacity, the use of a standardized procedure for administration and scoring greatly facilitates comparison across studies.

scholarly journals Ultra-brief Ambulatory Assessment of Working Memory Capacity via Smart Phones

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Hakun ◽  
Nelson Arley Roque ◽  
Courtney R. Gerver ◽  
Eric Scott Cerino
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Smart Phones ◽  
Testing Time ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Administration Time ◽  
Span Tasks ◽  
Current Psychological

The development of mobile technology with substantial computing power (i.e. smart phones) has enabled the adaptation of performance-based cognitive assessments to remote administration and novel intensive longitudinal study designs (e.g. measurement burst designs). While an “ambulatory” cognitive assessment paradigm provides new opportunities to extend current psychological theories, the adaptation of conventional measures to a mobile format conducive to intensive repeated measurement involves balancing measurement precision, administration time, and procedural consistency. Across 3 studies, we developed mobile adaptations of computerized ‘complex span’ tasks to assess working memory capacity (WMC) and examined their validity, reliability, and sufficiency. Study 1 examined the convergent and criterion validity of a single administration of 3 ultra-brief complex span tasks on smart phones in a laboratory setting (ambulatory Operation Span, Symmetry Span, and Rotation Span tasks). Study 2 adapted the ultra-brief tasks to a 4-day measurement burst design where between- and within-person reliability was assessed over 16 repeated administrations (4 assessments/day). Study 3 involved the implementation of a single ultra-brief complex span task into a 7-day measurement burst design field study involving college students (5 assessments/day). Results of these 3 studies suggest that valid and highly reliable estimates of WMC can be obtained via smart phones, in the absence of intensive onboarding/training, in 3-6 minutes of total testing time (2 ultra-brief, mobile administrations). Considerations for future mobile cognitive assessment design and parameterization are discussed.

Strategy use moderates the relation between working memory capacity and fluid intelligence: A combined approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenyu Li ◽  
Xuezhu Ren ◽  
Karl Schweizer ◽  
TENGFEI WANG
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Response Elimination ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Latent Profile

This study investigated whether the strength of the link between working memory capacity (WMC) and fluid intelligence (Gf) differs as people use different strategies to solve Gf problems. A sample of 214 university students completed three complex span tasks and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM). Strategic behavior was measured by both a strategy questionnaire and eye tracking. Using latent profile analysis, three strategies described as constructive matching, response elimination, and isolate-and-eliminate were identified. Participants adopting constructive matching and response elimination exhibited substantial differences in the eye-movement measures across the APM items, confirming the validity of the strategy questionnaire in combination of latent profile analysis for determining strategy use. Furthermore, strategy use moderated the relationship between WMC and APM performance. The link between WMC and APM scores was significantly higher for participants who used isolate-and-eliminate (r = .54) and response elimination (r = .63) than that for participants who used constructive matching (r = .27). Our findings suggest that the simple dichotomy of strategy use in the APM is not tenable, and the extent to which WMC relates to performance on the APM varies as a function of strategy use.

scholarly journals Individual differences in working memory capacity and the regulation of arousal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Kyle Robison ◽  
Gene Arnold Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Differential Functioning ◽  
Attentional Lapses ◽  
Explanatory Mechanism

Previously it has been theorized that differential functioning of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system affects people's ability to regulate arousal, which has impacts on cognitive abilities. In the present study, we investigated three potential mechanisms by which the LC-NE system can fail to regulate arousal appropriately: hypoarousal, hyperarousal, and dysregulation of arousal. Each of these three could potentially account for why arousal affects cognition. To test the contributions of these three mechanisms, the present study examined individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) and the regulation of arousal using pupillometry. Participants completed multiple complex span and visual arrays change-detection measures of WMC. An eye-tracker recorded pupil diameter as participants completed the visual arrays tasks. We found rather mixed evidence for the three mechanisms. Arousal dysregulation correlated with lower visual arrays performance and more self-reported attentional lapses. However arousal regulation did not correlate with complex span performance. There was also some evidence for hypoarousal as an explanatory mechanism, as arousal correlated with attentional lapses. We discuss the implications of the results for theories regarding the role of arousal regulation in cognitive performance and individual differences in cognitive abilities.

scholarly journals Wahlheim, Alexander, & Kane (forthcoming) - Interpolated retrieval effects on list isolation: Individual differences in working memory capacity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher N. Wahlheim ◽  
Timothy Alexander ◽  
Michael J. Kane
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Free Recall ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Correct Recall ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Context Change ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Term Memory

We examined the effects of interpolated retrieval from long-term memory (LTM) and short-term memory (STM) on list isolation in dual-list free recall and whether individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) moderated those effects. Ninety-seven subjects completed study-test trials that included two study lists separated by either an exemplar generation task (LTM retrieval) or 2-back task (STM retrieval). Subjects then completed an externalized free recall task that allowed for examination of response accessibility and monitoring. Individual differences in WMC were assessed using three complex span tasks: Operation Span, Reading Span, and Rotation Span. Correct recall and intratrial intrusion summary scores showed no effect of interpolated retrieval on response accessibility or monitoring. However, serial position curves for correct recall of List 1 showed larger primacy in the 2-back than exemplar generation task for high-WMC subjects. We interpret these results from a context change perspective as showing that interpolated LTM retrieval accelerated context change for subjects who processed context more effectively. We consider the implications of these findings for models of memory.

scholarly journals Are working memory training effects paradigm-specific?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joni Holmes ◽  
Francesca Woolgar ◽  
Adam Hampshire ◽  
Susan E. Gathercole
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Stimulus Category ◽  
Complex Span ◽  
Complex Span Task ◽  
Span Tasks ◽  
Verbal Complex

AbstractA randomized controlled trial compared complex span and n-back training regimes to investigate the generality of training benefits across materials and paradigms. The memory items and training intensities were equated across programs, providing the first like-with-like comparison of transfer in these two widely-used training paradigms. The stimuli in transfer tests of verbal and visuo-spatial n-back and complex span differed from the trained tasks, but were matched across the untrained paradigms. Pre-to-post changes were observed for untrained n-back tasks following n-back training. Following complex span training there was equivocal evidence for improvements on a verbal complex span task, but no evidence for changes on an untrained visuo-spatial complex span activity. Relative to a no intervention group, the evidence supported no change on an untrained verbal complex span task following either n-back or complex span training. Equivocal evidence was found for improvements on visuo-spatial complex span and verbal and visuo-spatial n-back tasks following both training regimes. Evidence for selective transfer (comparing the two active training groups) was only found for an untrained visuo-spatial n-back task following n-back training. There was no evidence for cross-paradigm transfer. Thus transfer is constrained by working memory paradigm and the nature of individual processes executed within complex span tasks. However, within-paradigm transfer can occur when the change is limited to stimulus category, at least for n-back.

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