scholarly journals Articulatory Suppression Impairs Working Memory for Ostensibly Unvocalizable Abstract Sounds

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Nees
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Retention Interval ◽  
Articulatory Suppression ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Verbal Material ◽  
Maintenance Mechanism ◽  
Single Probe ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Subvocal Rehearsal

Both subvocal articulatory rehearsal and attentional refreshing have been advanced as rehearsal mechanisms for verbal material (including speech sounds) in working memory, but the mechanism of rehearsal for nonverbal sounds—especially timbral attributes of sounds—remains unclear. Since timbral attributes of sounds often have been assumed to be unvocalizable, researchers have suggested that working memory for timbre must involve an attentional or sensory (rather than subvocal) maintenance mechanism. Two experiments examined the role of subvocal rehearsal and attentional refreshing in working memory for timbre using sounds that were designed to be abstract, unvocalizable, and devoid of apparent mnemonic semantic connections. Participants heard either three (Experiment 1) or two (Experiment 2) brief (250 ms), abstract sounds. Following an 8000 ms retention interval, participants heard a single probe sound and indicated whether the probe had been a member of the original set. During the retention interval, manipulations were introduced to suppress subvocal articulatory rehearsal, attentional refreshing, or both. Across both experiments, all conditions with articulatory suppression during the retention interval showed worse memory performance than a control condition. Effects of attentional refreshing suppression were inconsistent. These experiments suggested that subvocal imitation may be an important mechanism of rehearsal in working memory for timbre—a finding that presents complications for existing theoretical perspectives on both verbal and nonverbal working memory.

scholarly journals Reviewing the Role of Cognitive Load, Expertise Level, Motivation, and Unconscious Processing in Working Memory Performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seffetullah Kuldas ◽  
Shahabuddin Hashim ◽  
Hairul Nizam Ismail ◽  
Zainudin Abu Bakar
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Unconscious Processing ◽  
Expertise Level

<p class="p1">Human cognitive capacity is unavailable for conscious processing of every amount of instructional messages. Aligning an instructional design with learner expertise level would allow better use of available working memory capacity in a cognitive learning task. Motivating students to learn consciously is also an essential determinant of the capacity usage. However, motivational factors are often subject to unconscious rather than conscious emotional processing. This review sets out the need for further studies to elucidate the role of motivation and unconscious processing in the use of cognitive capacity<span class="s1">. </span></p>

Differential role of visuospatial working memory in the propensity toward uncertainty in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder and in healthy subjects

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 2113-2124 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Lambrecq ◽  
J.-Y. Rotge ◽  
N. Jaafari ◽  
B. Aouizerate ◽  
N. Langbour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Continuous Performance ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Temporal Direction

BackgroundObsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with visuospatial working memory deficits. Intolerance of uncertainty is thought to be a core component of OCD symptoms. Recent findings argue for a possible relationship between abilities in visuospatial memory and uncertainty. However, this relationship remains unclear in both OCD patients and healthy subjects. To address this issue, we measured performance in visuospatial working memory and the propensity to express uncertainty during decision making. We assessed their relationship and the temporal direction of this relationship in both OCD patients and healthy subjects.MethodBaseline abilities in visuospatial working memory were measured with the Corsi block-tapping test. A delayed matching-to-sample task was used to identify explicit situations of certainty, uncertainty and ignorance and to assess continuous performance in visuospatial working memory. Behavioural variables were recorded over 360 consecutive trials in both groups.ResultsBaseline scores of visuospatial working memory did not predict the number of uncertain situations in OCD patients whereas they did in healthy subjects. Uncertain trials led to reduced abilities in visuospatial working memory to 65% of usual performance in OCD patients whereas they remained stable in healthy subjects.ConclusionsThe present findings show an opposite temporal direction in the relationship between abilities in working memory and uncertainty in OCD patients and healthy subjects. Poor working memory performance contributes to the propensity to feel uncertainty in healthy subjects whereas uncertainty contributes to decreased continuous performance in working memory in OCD patients.

scholarly journals Sleep-Wake Regulation and Its Impact on Working Memory Performance: The Role of Adenosine

Biology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Reichert ◽  
Micheline Maire ◽  
Christina Schmidt ◽  
Christian Cajochen
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance

scholarly journals Opposite reactions to loss incentive by young and older adults: Insights from diffusion modeling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyesue Jang ◽  
Richard Lewis ◽  
Cindy Lustig
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Retention Interval ◽  
Drift Rate ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Memory Representation ◽  
Diffusion Modeling

The prospect of loss becomes more salient in later life, and the opportunity to avoid loss is often used to motivate older adults. We examined the effect of loss incentive on working memory in young and older adults. Diffusion-modeling analyses, manipulation of task parameters, and self-report measures identified which aspects of cognitive-motivational processing were most affected within each group. As predicted, loss incentive increased working memory performance and self-reported motivation in young adults, but, consistent with prior work, had the opposite effect in older adults. Diffusion-modeling analyses suggested the primary effect was on the quality of the memory representation (drift rate). Incentive did not interact with retention interval or the number of items in the memory set. Instead, longer retention intervals led to better performance, potentially by improved differentiation between studied items and the unstudied probe as a function of temporal context. Overall, the results do not support theories suggesting that older adults are either more motivated by loss or that they ignore it. Instead, the loss incentive increased young adults' performance and subjective motivation, with opposite effects for older adults. The specific impact on drift rate and lack of interactions with set size or retention interval suggest that rather than affecting load-dependent or strategic processes, the effects occur at a relatively global level related to overall task engagement.

scholarly journals A case-control association study of COMT rs4680 Polymorphism with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Cognitive Functions: The role of sex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
sajedeh hamidian ◽  
Abbas Pourshahbaz ◽  
atefeh moradkhani ◽  
Behrooz Dolatshahi ◽  
Esmaeil Shahsavand Ananloo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Genetic Components

Abstract Background Previous studies have emphasized the role of genetic components in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and cognitive functions. One of the most controversial markers in this area is the COMT rs4680 polymorphism. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of rs4680 on susceptibility to OCD and cognitive functions with respect to the moderating role of sex. Methods The subjects included 127 patients with OCD and 145 healthy controls. Genotyping was carried out by ARMS-PCR. The subjects underwent cognitive evaluations using the Wechsler Memory Scale-III. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 and R package software. Results The results showed a significantly higher frequency of the AA genotype in the OCD group than in the healthy control group. Cognitive assessments showed weaker Immediate Memory and General Memory performance in the patients with OCD than in the control group. No significant association was found between rs4680 and memory dimensions in the total sample, whereas analysis by sex revealed a significant association of rs4680 with Working Memory only in females. Conclusions The results of this study confirm previous findings about the association of the AA genotype with OCD. These findings also corroborate previous assumptions about impaired episodic memory in patients with OCD. Moreover, the association of rs4680 with Working Memory only in females endorses the hypothesis of the sexual dimorphism of the effects of this COMT gene polymorphism.

A Role for Spatial and Nonspatial Working Memory Processes in Visual Search

2008 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 301-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine J. Anderson ◽  
Sabira K. Mannan ◽  
Geraint Rees ◽  
Petroc Sumner ◽  
Christopher Kennard
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Retention Interval ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Memory Processes ◽  
Task Conditions

Searching a cluttered visual scene for a specific item of interest can take several seconds to perform if the target item is difficult to discriminate from surrounding items. Whether working memory processes are utilized to guide the path of attentional selection during such searches remains under debate. Previous studies have found evidence to support a role for spatial working memory in inefficient search, but the role of nonspatial working memory remains unclear. Here, we directly compared the role of spatial and nonspatial working memory for both an efficient and inefficient search task. In Experiment 1, we used a dual-task paradigm to investigate the effect of performing visual search within the retention interval of a spatial working memory task. Importantly, by incorporating two working memory loads (low and high) we were able to make comparisons between dual-task conditions, rather than between dual-task and single-task conditions. This design allows any interference effects observed to be attributed to changes in memory load, rather than to nonspecific effects related to “dual-task” performance. We found that the efficiency of the inefficient search task declined as spatial memory load increased, but that the efficient search task remained efficient. These results suggest that spatial memory plays an important role in inefficient but not efficient search. In Experiment 2, participants performed the same visual search tasks within the retention interval of visually matched spatial and verbal working memory tasks. Critically, we found comparable dual-task interference between inefficient search and both the spatial and nonspatial working memory tasks, indicating that inefficient search recruits working memory processes common to both domains.

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