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Heled E, Levi O. Aging's Effect on Working Memory-Modality Comparison. Biomedicines 2024; 12:835. [PMID: 38672189 PMCID: PMC11048508 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12040835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Research exploring the impact of development and aging on working memory (WM) has primarily concentrated on visual and verbal domains, with limited attention paid to the tactile modality. The current study sought to evaluate WM encompassing storage and manipulation across these three modalities, spanning from childhood to old age. The study included 134 participants, divided into four age groups: 7-8, 11-12, 25-35, and 60-69. Each participant completed the Visuospatial Span, Digit Span, and Tactual Span, with forward and backward recall. The findings demonstrated a consistent trend in both forward and backward stages. Performance improved until young adulthood, progressively diminishing with advancing age. In the forward stage, the Tactual Span performance was worse than that of the Digit and Visuospatial Span for all participants. In the backward stage, the Visuospatial Span outperformed the Digit and Tactual Span across all age groups. Furthermore, the Tactual Span backward recall exhibited significantly poorer performance than the other modalities, primarily in the youngest and oldest age groups. In conclusion, age impacts WM differently across modalities, with tactile storage capacity being the most vulnerable. Additionally, tactile manipulation skills develop later in childhood but deteriorate sooner in adulthood, indicating a distinct component within tactile WM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyal Heled
- Department of Psychology, Ariel University, Ariel 4077625, Israel;
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 5262160, Israel
| | - Ohad Levi
- Department of Psychology, Ariel University, Ariel 4077625, Israel;
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2
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Kotegawa K, Kuroda N, Sakata J, Teramoto W. Association between visuo-spatial working memory and gait motor imagery. Hum Mov Sci 2024; 94:103185. [PMID: 38320427 DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2024.103185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Although motor imagery and working memory (WM) appear to be closely linked, no previous studies have demonstrated direct evidence for the relationship between motor imagery and WM abilities. This study investigated the association between WM and gait motor imagery and focused on the individual differences in young adults. This study included 33 participants (mean age: 22.2 ± 0.9 years). We used two methods to measure the ability of different WM domains: verbal and visuo-spatial WM. Gait motor imagery accuracy was assessed via the mental chronometry paradigm. We measured the times participants took to complete an actual and imagined walk along a 5 m walkway, with three different path widths. The linear mixed effects model analysis revealed that visuo-spatial WM ability was a significant predictor of the accuracy of gait motor imagery, but not of verbal WM ability. Specifically, individuals with lower visuo-spatial WM ability demonstrated more inaccuracies in the difficult path-width conditions. However, gait motor imagery was not as accurate as actual walking even in the easiest path width or in participants with high visuo-spatial WM ability. Further, visuo-spatial WM ability was significantly correlated with mental walking but not with actual walking. These results suggest that visuo-spatial WM is related to motor imagery rather than actual movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Kotegawa
- Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Science, Kumamoto Health Science University, 325 Izumi, Kumamoto 861-5598, Japan.
| | - Naoki Kuroda
- Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
| | - Junya Sakata
- Department of Rehabilitation, Medical Corporation Tanakakai, Musashigaoka Hospital, 7-15-1 Kusunoki, Kumamoto 861-8003, Japan
| | - Wataru Teramoto
- Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
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3
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Fisher ME, Teng J, Gbadeyan O, Prakash RS. Using connectome-based models of working memory to predict emotion regulation in older adults. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad036. [PMID: 37421161 PMCID: PMC10367441 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Older adulthood is characterized by enhanced emotional well-being potentially resulting from greater reliance on adaptive emotion regulation strategies. However, not all older adults demonstrate an increase in emotional well-being and instead rely on maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. An important moderator of age-related shifts in strategy preferences is working memory (WM) and its underlying neural circuitry. As such, individual differences in the neural integrity underlying WM may predict older adults' emotion regulation strategy preferences. Our study used whole-brain WM networks-derived from young adults using connectome-based predictive modeling-to predict WM performance and acceptance strategy use in healthy older adults. Older adults (N = 110) completed baseline assessments as part of a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of mind-body interventions on healthy aging. Our results revealed that the WM networks predicted WM accuracy but not acceptance use or difficulties in emotion regulation in older adults. Individual differences in WM performance, but not WM networks, moderated relationships between image intensity and acceptance use. These findings highlight that robust neural markers of WM generalize to an independent sample of healthy older adults but may not generalize beyond cognitive domains to predict emotion-based behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Fisher
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - James Teng
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Oyetunde Gbadeyan
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Peninsula Clinical School and Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Ruchika S Prakash
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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4
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Stuck on the Last: The Last-Presented Benefit as an Index of Attentional Refreshing in Adolescents. J Intell 2022; 11:jintelligence11010004. [PMID: 36662134 PMCID: PMC9860735 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence11010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory is a limited-capacity system responsible for maintaining information that is known to dramatically develop throughout childhood and adolescence. Different maintenance mechanisms are proposed to support working memory development, among which is attentional refreshing. Attentional refreshing is assumed to improve the accessibility of working-memory representations by cycling attention from one mental representation to the other, serially. It has been suggested that the efficiency of refreshing increases between the ages of 7 and 14 years old, thereby supporting working memory development. Yet, there is not much research about refreshing in adolescence. Here, we investigate the occurrence of refreshing in 15-year-olds by using a recently-developed index, i.e., the last-presented benefit. Adolescents had to remember a list of four letters and judge whether a subsequent probe letter was present or not in the list. Reaction times to the probe were used to assess the spontaneous occurrence of refreshing. We found that, unlike young adults, 15-year-olds showed consistent speeded responses to probes matching the last-presented memory item, indicating that, in this task, adolescents did not refocus their attention away from the last memory item to initiate refreshing. Implications for working memory functioning and development are discussed.
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5
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Skalaban LJ, Cohen AO, Conley MI, Lin Q, Schwartz GN, Ruiz-Huidobro NAM, Cannonier T, Martinez SA, Casey BJ. Adolescent-specific memory effects: evidence from working memory, immediate and long-term recognition memory performance in 8-30 yr olds. Learn Mem 2022; 29:223-233. [PMID: 35953104 PMCID: PMC9374272 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053539.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Working memory and recognition memory develop across adolescence, but the relationship between them is not fully understood. We investigated associations between n-back task performance and subsequent recognition memory in a community sample (8-30 yr, n = 150) using tasks from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study) to cross-sectionally assess memory in an age range that will be sampled longitudinally. We added a 24-h delay condition to assess long-term recognition. Overall working memory, immediate and long-term recognition performance peaked in adolescence. Age effects in recognition memory varied by items (old targets, old distractors, and new items) and delay (0 and 24 h). For immediate recognition, accuracy was higher for targets and new items than for distractors, with accuracy for targets peaking in adulthood and accuracy for new items peaking during adolescence. For long-term recognition, adolescents' accuracy was higher for targets than distractors, while adults showed similarly high accuracy for targets and distractors and children showed low accuracy for both. This pattern appeared to be specific to recognition of items from the high working memory load condition. The results suggest that working memory may facilitate long-term recognition of task-relevant over irrelevant items and may benefit the detection of new information during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena J Skalaban
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Alexandra O Cohen
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - May I Conley
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Qi Lin
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Garrett N Schwartz
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | | | - Tariq Cannonier
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Steven A Martinez
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - B J Casey
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
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6
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Spalding DM, MacAngus K, Moen MK, Nicholls LAB. Adult Aging Moderates the Relationship Between Trait Cognitive Anxiety and Subjective Everyday Cognitive Difficulties. Front Psychol 2021; 12:747839. [PMID: 34777140 PMCID: PMC8581743 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.747839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present aim was to determine, across the adult lifespan, the extent to which different dimensions of trait anxiety might affect subjective cognitive difficulties in everyday life. Following Attentional Control Theory (ACT; Eysenck et al., 2007), we predicted that trait anxiety would have a greater effect on attention and verbal abilities than on visual abilities. We also expected trait cognitive anxiety to exhibit more robust relationships with cognition than trait somatic anxiety. Importantly, we predicted that effects of anxiety would be greater in older adults, in line with the Strength and Vulnerability Integration model (SAVI; Charles, 2010). The sample comprised 286 United Kingdom-based adults aged 18–93 years. Participants completed self-report measures of trait cognitive and somatic anxiety (the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety; STICSA, Ree et al., 2008) and everyday cognitive difficulties (the Multiple Abilities Self-Report Questionnaire; MASQ, Seidenberg et al., 1994). Moderated regression models were constructed, including trait cognitive or somatic anxiety as a predictor of cognitive difficulties, and age as the moderator variable. Covariates included depression, stress (the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales—short form; DASS-21, Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995), gender, current mental health treatment status, and physical health status. When cognitive anxiety was the predictor variable, somatic anxiety was also included as a covariate, and vice-versa. Trait cognitive anxiety and age interacted to predict all MASQ subscales other than visual-perceptual ability. Difficulties with attention, verbal memory, and language abilities were significantly greater at higher levels of anxiety for all age groups, with the effect greatest in older adults. Difficulties with visual-spatial memory were significantly greater at higher levels of anxiety in middle-aged and older adults only. Higher trait somatic anxiety predicted difficulties with verbal memory and language ability independently of age, and interacted with age to predict language difficulties. Interestingly, age also significantly predicted less subjective difficulty with attention, independently of anxiety level. The results show that trait cognitive and somatic anxiety are both related to subjective, everyday cognitive difficulties. However, effects of trait cognitive anxiety are more robust across cognitive domains and tend to increase, or first appear, over the course of the adult lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Spalding
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Kerry MacAngus
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Martine K Moen
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Louise A Brown Nicholls
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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7
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Amico G, Schaefer S. Negative Effects of Embodiment in a Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Task in Children, Young Adults, and Older Adults. Front Psychol 2021; 12:688174. [PMID: 34589020 PMCID: PMC8473613 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.688174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies examining the effect of embodied cognition have shown that linking one's body movements to a cognitive task can enhance performance. The current study investigated whether concurrent walking while encoding or recalling spatial information improves working memory performance, and whether 10-year-old children, young adults, or older adults (M age = 72 years) are affected differently by embodiment. The goal of the Spatial Memory Task was to encode and recall sequences of increasing length by reproducing positions of target fields in the correct order. The nine targets were positioned in a random configuration on a large square carpet (2.5 m × 2.5 m). During encoding and recall, participants either did not move, or they walked into the target fields. In a within-subjects design, all possible combinations of encoding and recall conditions were tested in counterbalanced order. Contrary to our predictions, moving particularly impaired encoding, but also recall. These negative effects were present in all age groups, but older adults' memory was hampered even more strongly by walking during encoding and recall. Our results indicate that embodiment may not help people to memorize spatial information, but can create a dual-task situation instead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Amico
- Department of Sport Sciences, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
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8
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Jaroslawska AJ, Rhodes S, Belletier C, Doherty JM, Cowan N, Neveh-Benjamin M, Barrouillet P, Camos V, Logie RH. What affects the magnitude of age-related dual-task costs in working memory? The role of stimulus domain and access to semantic representations. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 74:682-704. [PMID: 33073696 PMCID: PMC8044618 DOI: 10.1177/1747021820970744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Although there is evidence that the effect of including a concurrent processing demand on the storage of information in working memory is disproportionately larger for older than younger adults, not all studies show this age-related impairment, and the critical factors responsible for any such impairment remain elusive. Here we assess whether domain overlap between storage and processing activities, and access to semantic representations, are important determinants of performance in a sample of younger and older adults (N = 119). We developed four versions of a processing task by manipulating the type of stimuli involved (either verbal or non-verbal) and the decision that participants had to make about the stimuli presented on the screen. Participants either had to perform a spatial judgement, in deciding whether the verbal or non-verbal item was presented above or below the centre of the screen, or a semantic judgement, in deciding whether the stimulus refers to something living or not living. The memory task was serial-ordered recall of visually presented letters. The study revealed a large increase in age-related memory differences when concurrent processing was required. These differences were smaller when storage and processing activities both used verbal materials. Dual-task effects on processing were also disproportionate for older adults. Age differences in processing performance appeared larger for tasks requiring spatial decisions rather than semantic decisions. We discuss these findings in relation to three competing frameworks of working memory and the extant literature on cognitive ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka J Jaroslawska
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- School of Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Stephen Rhodes
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Clément Belletier
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jason M Doherty
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Nelson Cowan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | | | - Pierre Barrouillet
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Valerie Camos
- Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Robert H Logie
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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9
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Electrophysiological correlates of the Categorization Working Memory Span task in older adults. Behav Brain Res 2020; 393:112809. [PMID: 32679163 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Older adults typically show poor performance in tasks assessing working memory (WM), a crucial cognitive mechanism. The present study examined the electrophysiological correlates of a classic complex WM task often used in studies involving older adults, the Categorization Working Memory Span task (CWMS), by means of event-related potentials. Thirty-five healthy, right-handed older adults (64-75 years) were presented the CWMS task while a 38-channel EEG was measured, and the N1, P1, and word recognition potential (RP) were analyzed on four regions of interest (ROIs) of 5 electrodes each. Additionally, late positive components (P200 and P300) were analyzed in midline ROIs of 3 electrodes each. Participants also executed an n-back task (2-back condition) and an objective performance-based task (the Ability to solve Problems in Everyday life [APE]). At a behavioral level, significant correlations were found between the CWMS, the 2-back, and the APE tests. At a physiological level, N1 and word RP showed greater bilateral amplitude in posterior electrodes, but the better the CWMS and the 2-back performance, the greater the RP amplitude on posterior left sites. The CWMS task induced a clear P200 component, but its amplitude was not correlated with participants' behavioral performance. Altogether, notwithstanding that the bilateral RP pattern elicited by the CWMS is a clear marker of WM processing in older adults, better elderly performers on this complex WM test showed greater left hemisphere dominance to the automatic word RP.
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10
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Forsberg A, Fellman D, Laine M, Johnson W, Logie RH. Strategy mediation in working memory training in younger and older adults. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2020; 73:1206-1226. [PMID: 32160812 PMCID: PMC7575302 DOI: 10.1177/1747021820915107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) training with the N-Back task has been argued to improve cognitive capacity and general cognitive abilities (the Capacity Hypothesis of training), although several studies have shown little or no evidence for such improvements beyond tasks that are very similar to the trained task. Laine et al. demonstrated that instructing young adult participants to use a specific visualisation strategy for N-back training resulted in clear, generalised benefits from only 30 min of training (Strategy Mediation Hypothesis of training). Here, we report a systematic replication and extension of the Laine et al. study, by administering 60 younger and 60 older participants a set of WM tasks before and after a 30-min N-back training session. Half the participants were instructed to use a visualisation strategy, the others received no instruction. The pre-post test battery encompassed a criterion task (digit N-back), two untrained tasks N-back tasks (letters and colours), and three structurally different WM tasks. The instructed visualisation strategy significantly boosted at least some measures of N-back performance in participants of both age groups, although the strategy generally appeared more difficult to implement and less beneficial for older adults. However, the strategy did not improve performance on structurally different WM tasks. We also found significant associations between N-back performance and the type and level of detail of self-generated strategies in the uninstructed participants, as well as age group differences in reported strategy types. WM performance appeared to partly reflect the application of strategies, and Strategy Mediation should be considered to understand the mechanisms of WM training. Claims of efficient training should demonstrate useful improvement beyond task-specific strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Forsberg
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Daniel Fellman
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
- Department of Applied Educational Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Matti Laine
- Department of Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Wendy Johnson
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Robert H Logie
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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11
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D'Antuono G, Maini M, Marin D, Boccia M, Piccardi L. Effect of ageing on verbal and visuo-spatial working memory: Evidence from 880 individuals. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2020; 29:193-202. [PMID: 32125884 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2020.1732979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
It is well-known that ageing is associated with a decrease in working memory abilities. It is not so clear at what age the decline begins and if there are differences in the decline of verbal and visuo-spatial working memory. This study investigates the effect of ageing on verbal and visuo-spatial working memory by comparing the performance of 880 subjects aged between 15- and 80-year old who were subdivided into five groups. The results show that age is negatively correlated with performance on both verbal and visuo-spatial working memory tasks. Specifically, we observed a gradual deterioration in performance with increasing age starting at 36-year old. Comparing the performance of the five groups, it is possible to observe a clear decline in both verbal and visuo-spatial working memory domains in subjects over 66-year old. However, in the next youngest age group, it is possible to notice differences in performance depending on the type of material being processed and the cognitive load required. This variability is discussed by analyzing the factors that may have influenced test performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manuela Maini
- Nucleo Speciale per le Gravissime Disabilità Acquisite, CRA "Virginia Grandi," Bologna, Italy
| | - Dario Marin
- SOC Neuropsichiatria ASUIUD, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata di Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Piccardi
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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12
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Rhodes S, Jaroslawska AJ, Doherty JM, Belletier C, Naveh-Benjamin M, Cowan N, Camos V, Barrouillet P, Logie RH. Storage and processing in working memory: Assessing dual-task performance and task prioritization across the adult lifespan. J Exp Psychol Gen 2019; 148:1204-1227. [PMID: 30667263 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
There is a theoretical disagreement in the working memory literature, with some proposing that the storage and processing of information rely on distinct parts of the cognitive system and others who posit that they rely, to some extent, on a shared attentional capacity. This debate is mirrored in the literature on working memory and aging, where there have been mixed findings on the ability of older adults to perform simultaneous storage and processing tasks. We assess the overlap between storage and processing and how this changes with age using a procedure in which both tasks have been carefully adjusted to produce comparable levels of single-task performance across a sample (N = 164) of participants aged 18-81. By manipulating incentives to perform one task over the other, this procedure was also capable of disentangling concurrence costs (single- vs. dual-task performance) from prioritization costs (relative payoffs for storage vs. processing performance) in a theoretically meaningful manner. The study revealed a large general cost to serial letter recall performance associated with concurrent performance of an arithmetic verification processing task, a concurrence cost that increased with age. For the processing task, there was no such general concurrence cost. Rather, there was a prioritization effect in dual-task performance for both tasks, irrespective of age, in which performance levels depended on the relative emphasis assigned to memory versus processing. This prioritization effect was large, albeit with a large residual in performance. The findings place important constraints on both working memory theory and our understanding of how working memory changes across the adult lifespan. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Rhodes
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri
| | | | | | | | | | - Nelson Cowan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri
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Abstract
AbstractSince the late 1980s evidence has been accumulating that confidence recorded at the time of identification is a reliable postdictor of eyewitness identification. Nonetheless, there may be noteworthy exceptions. In a re-analysis of a field study by Sauerland and Sporer (2009; N = 720; n = 436 choosers between 15 and 83 years old) we show that the postdictive value of confidence was reduced for participants aged 40 years or older. Different calibration indices and Bayesian analyses demonstrate a progressive dissociation between identification performance and confidence across age groups. While the confidence expressed following an identification remained unchanged across the lifespan, identification accuracy decreased. Young, highly confident witnesses were much more likely to be accurate than less confident witnesses. With increasing age, witnesses were more likely to be overconfident, particularly at the medium and high levels of confidence, and the postdictive value of confidence and decision times decreased. We conclude that witness age may be an important moderator to take into account when evaluating identification evidence.
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14
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Fagot D, Mella N, Borella E, Ghisletta P, Lecerf T, De Ribaupierre A. Intra-Individual Variability from a Lifespan Perspective: A Comparison of Latency and Accuracy Measures. J Intell 2018; 6:jintelligence6010016. [PMID: 31162443 PMCID: PMC6480759 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence6010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Within-task variability across trials (intra-individual variability (IIV)) has been mainly studied using latency measures but rarely with accuracy measures. The aim of the Geneva Variability Study was to examine IIV in both latency and accuracy measures of cognitive performance across the lifespan, administering the same tasks to children, younger adults, and older adults. Six processing speed tasks (Response Time (RT) tasks, 8 conditions) and two working memory tasks scored in terms of the number of correct responses (Working Memory (WM)—verbal and visuo-spatial, 6 conditions), as well as control tasks, were administered to over 500 individuals distributed across the three age periods. The main questions were whether age differences in IIV would vary throughout the lifespan according (i) to the type of measure used (RTs vs. accuracy); and (ii) to task complexity. The objective of this paper was to present the general experimental design and to provide an essentially descriptive picture of the results. For all experimental tasks, IIV was estimated using intra-individual standard deviation (iSDr), controlling for the individual level (mean) of performance and for potential practice effects. As concerns RTs, and in conformity with a majority of the literature, younger adults were less variable than both children and older adults, and the young children were often the most variable. In contrast, IIV in the WM accuracy scores pointed to different age trends—age effects were either not observed or, when found, they indicated that younger adults were the more variable group. Overall, the findings suggest that IIV provides complementary information to that based on a mean performance, and that the relation of IIV to cognitive development depends on the type of measure used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Fagot
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability (CIGEV), University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES-Overcoming Vulnerability, Life Course Perspectives, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Nathalie Mella
- Cognitive Aging Lab, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Erika Borella
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy.
| | - Paolo Ghisletta
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES-Overcoming Vulnerability, Life Course Perspectives, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Swiss Distance Learning University, 3900 Brig, Switzerland.
| | - Thierry Lecerf
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Swiss Distance Learning University, 3900 Brig, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Anik De Ribaupierre
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability (CIGEV), University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
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15
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Blasiman RN, Was CA. Why Is Working Memory Performance Unstable? A Review of 21 Factors. EUROPES JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 14:188-231. [PMID: 29899806 PMCID: PMC5973525 DOI: 10.5964/ejop.v14i1.1472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we systematically reviewed twenty-one factors that have been shown to either vary with or influence performance on working memory (WM) tasks. Specifically, we review previous work on the influence of intelligence, gender, age, personality, mental illnesses/medical conditions, dieting, craving, stress/anxiety, emotion/motivation, stereotype threat, temperature, mindfulness training, practice, bilingualism, musical training, altitude/hypoxia, sleep, exercise, diet, psychoactive substances, and brain stimulation on WM performance. In addition to a review of the literature, we suggest several frameworks for classifying these factors, identify shared mechanisms between several variables, and suggest areas requiring further investigation. This review critically examines the breadth of research investigating WM while synthesizing the results across related subfields in psychology.
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16
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Chan JSY, Yan JH. Age-Related Changes in Field Dependence-Independence and Implications for Geriatric Rehabilitation: A Review. Percept Mot Skills 2018; 125:234-250. [PMID: 29388513 DOI: 10.1177/0031512518754422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Human aging is a dynamic life-long process and an inevitable experience. As the average age of the world's population rises, demands for effective geriatric rehabilitation dramatically increase. An important consideration for enhancing geriatric behavioral interventions is to better understand aging characteristics in perceptual, cognitive, and motor performances. A general shift in cognitive style from field independence to field dependence has been consistently observed during human aging, as older adults show a greater tendency to rely on environmental information, presumably reflecting a neuro-compensatory mechanism of reducing top-down control and relying instead on bottom-up processing. These changes in cognitive style can impact motor skill learning and relearning and, consequently, affect geriatric rehabilitation and behavioral treatments. In this article, we review research related to the cognitive style of field dependence and independence, and its dynamic associations with aging. We also identify implications of cognitive style for geriatric rehabilitation and explore future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S Y Chan
- 1 Laboratory of Neuromotor Control and Learning, 47890 Shenzhen University , China
| | - Jin H Yan
- 1 Laboratory of Neuromotor Control and Learning, 47890 Shenzhen University , China
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17
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Lingo VanGilder J, Hengge CR, Duff K, Schaefer SY. Visuospatial function predicts one-week motor skill retention in cognitively intact older adults. Neurosci Lett 2017; 664:139-143. [PMID: 29154858 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Motor learning declines with aging, such that older adults retain less motor skill after practice compared to younger adults. However, it remains unclear if these motor learning declines are related to normal cognitive changes associated with aging. The purpose of this study was to examine which cognitive domains would best predict the amount of retention on a motor task one week after training in cognitively intact older adults. Twenty-one adults ages 65-84 years old were assessed with Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, which assesses five cognitive domains (immediate and delayed memory, visuospatial/constructional, language, and attention). Participants also completed one training session of a functional upper extremity task, and were re-tested one week later. Stepwise regression indicated that the visuospatial domain was the only significant predictor of how much skill participants retained over one week, with a visual perception subtest explaining the most variance. Results from this study support previous work reporting that older adults' capacity for motor learning can be probed with visuospatial tests. These tests may capture the structural or functional health of neural networks critical for skill learning within the aging brain, and provide valuable clinical insight about an individual's unique rehabilitation potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennapher Lingo VanGilder
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, 501 E. Tyler Mall, ECG 334A, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Caitlin R Hengge
- University of Utah Hospital, 50 N. Medical Dr., Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Kevin Duff
- Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging and Research, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, 650 Komas Dr. 106A, Salt Lake City UT 84108-1225, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Utah, 175 N. Medical Dr. E., Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Sydney Y Schaefer
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, 501 E. Tyler Mall, ECG 334A, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
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18
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Rosenbaum GM, Venkatraman V, Steinberg L, Chein JM. The Influences of Described and Experienced Information on Adolescent Risky Decision Making. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2017. [PMID: 29527087 DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Adolescents are known to take more risks than adults, which can be harmful to their health and well-being. However, despite age differences in real-world risk taking, laboratory risk-taking paradigms often do not evince these developmental patterns. Recent findings in the literature suggest that this inconsistency may be due in part to differences between how adolescents process information about risk when it is described (e.g., in a description-based classroom intervention) versus when it is experienced (e.g., when a teenager experiences the outcome of a risky choice). The present review considers areas of research that can inform approaches to intervention by deepening our understanding of risk taking in described or experienced contexts. We examine the literature on the description-experience gap, which has generally been limited to studies of adult samples, but which highlights differential decision making when risk information is described versus experienced. Informed by this work, we then explore the developmental literature comparing adolescent to adult decision making, and consider whether inconsistencies in age-related findings might be explained by distinguishing between studies in which participants learn about decision outcomes through experience versus description. In light of evidence that studies using experience-based tasks more often show age differences in risk taking, we consider the implications of this pattern, and argue that experience-based tasks may be more ecologically valid measures of adolescent risky decision making, in part due to the heightened affective nature of these tasks. Finally, we propose a model to integrate our findings with theories of adolescent risk-taking, and discuss implications for risk-reduction messaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail M Rosenbaum
- Department of Psychology, Temple University Weiss Hall, 1701 N. 13 St., Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Vinod Venkatraman
- Department of Marketing, Fox School of Business, Temple University 1801, Liacouras Walk (Alter A562), Philadelphia, PA 19122.,Center for Neural Decision Making, Fox School of Business, Temple University 1801, Liacouras Walk (Alter A562), Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Laurence Steinberg
- Department of Psychology, Temple University Weiss Hall, 1701 N. 13 St., Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Jason M Chein
- Department of Psychology, Temple University Weiss Hall, 1701 N. 13 St., Philadelphia, PA 19122
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Brown LA. Spatial-Sequential Working Memory in Younger and Older Adults: Age Predicts Backward Recall Performance within Both Age Groups. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1514. [PMID: 27757096 PMCID: PMC5047913 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory is vulnerable to age-related decline, but there is debate regarding the age-sensitivity of different forms of spatial-sequential working memory task, depending on their passive or active nature. The functional architecture of spatial working memory was therefore explored in younger (18-40 years) and older (64-85 years) adults, using passive and active recall tasks. Spatial working memory was assessed using a modified version of the Spatial Span subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale - Third Edition (WMS-III; Wechsler, 1998). Across both age groups, the effects of interference (control, visual, or spatial), and recall type (forward and backward), were investigated. There was a clear effect of age group, with younger adults demonstrating a larger spatial working memory capacity than the older adults overall. There was also a specific effect of interference, with the spatial interference task (spatial tapping) reliably reducing performance relative to both the control and visual interference (dynamic visual noise) conditions in both age groups and both recall types. This suggests that younger and older adults have similar dependence upon active spatial rehearsal, and that both forward and backward recall require this processing capacity. Linear regression analyses were then carried out within each age group, to assess the predictors of performance in each recall format (forward and backward). Specifically the backward recall task was significantly predicted by age, within both the younger and older adult groups. This finding supports previous literature showing lifespan linear declines in spatial-sequential working memory, and in working memory tasks from other domains, but contrasts with previous evidence that backward spatial span is no more sensitive to aging than forward span. The study suggests that backward spatial span is indeed more processing-intensive than forward span, even when both tasks include a retention period, and that age predicts backward spatial span performance across the adult lifespan, within both younger and older adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise A Brown
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde Glasgow, UK
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20
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Read CA, Rogers JM, Wilson PH. Working memory binding of visual object features in older adults. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2015; 23:263-81. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2015.1083937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christina A. Read
- Business Intelligence Unit, South Metropolitan Health Service, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Jeffrey M. Rogers
- School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter H. Wilson
- School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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21
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Marchette SA, Sever MW, Flombaum JI, Shelton AL. Individual Differences in Representational Precision Predict Spatial Working Memory Span. SPATIAL COGNITION AND COMPUTATION 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/13875868.2015.1078334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Cohen-Shikora ER, Balota DA. An examination of age-related changes in the control of lexical and sublexical pathways in mapping spelling to sound. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2015; 23:218-33. [PMID: 26251073 PMCID: PMC4679586 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2015.1075467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated the extent to which young and older adults are able to direct attention to distinct processes in mapping spelling onto sound. Young and older adults completed either a speeded pronunciation task (reading aloud words) or regularization task (pronouncing words based on spelling-to-sound correspondences, e.g., pronouncing PINT such that it rhymes with HINT) in order to bias processing of lexical, whole-word information, or sublexical, spelling-to-sound mapping, respectively. Both younger and older adults produced reduced word-frequency effects and lexicality effects in the regularization task compared to the normal pronunciation task. Importantly, compared to younger adults, older adults produced exaggerated effects of task (i.e., pronunciation vs. regularization) on the observed frequency and lexicality effects. These results highlight both the flexibility of the lexical processing system and changes in the influence of the underlying lexical route due to additional 50 years of reading experience and/or changes in attentional control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Cohen-Shikora
- a Department of Psychology , Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis , MO , USA
| | - David A Balota
- a Department of Psychology , Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis , MO , USA
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The Effect of Spatial Working Memory Deterioration on Strategic Visuomotor Learning across Aging. Behav Neurol 2015; 2015:512617. [PMID: 26290623 PMCID: PMC4531166 DOI: 10.1155/2015/512617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of age-related cognitive changes in a visuomotor learning task that depends on strategic control and contrast it with the effect in a task principally depending on visuomotor recalibration. METHODS Participants performed a ball throwing task while donning either a reversing dove prism or a displacement wedge prism, which mainly depend on strategic control or visuomotor recalibration, respectively. Visuomotor performance was then analysed in relation to rule acquisition and reversal, recognition memory, visual memory, spatial planning, and spatial working memory with tasks from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). RESULTS The results confirmed previous works showing a detrimental effect of age on visuomotor learning. The analyses of the cognitive changes observed across age showed that both strategic control and visuomotor recalibration had significant negative correlations only with the number of errors in the spatial working memory task. However, when the effect of aging was controlled, the only significant correlation remaining was between the reversal adaptation magnitude and spatial working memory. DISCUSSION These results suggest that spatial working memory decline across aging could contribute to age-dependent deterioration in both visuomotor learning processes. However, spatial working memory integrity seems to affect strategic learning decline even after controlling for aging.
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Merrill EC, Conners FA, Roskos B, Klinger MR, Klinger LG. Contextual cueing effects across the lifespan. The Journal of Genetic Psychology 2013; 174:387-402. [PMID: 23991612 DOI: 10.1080/00221325.2012.694919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The authors evaluated age-related variations in contextual cueing, which reflects the extent to which visuospatial regularities can facilitate search for a target. Previous research produced inconsistent results regarding contextual cueing effects in young children and in older adults, and no study has investigated the phenomenon across the life span. Three groups (6, 20, and 70 years old) were compared. Participants located a designated target stimulus embedded in a context of distractor stimuli. During exposure, the location of the target could be predicted from the location of the distracters in each display. During test, these predictable displays were intermixed with new displays that did not predict the target location. Response times to locating predictable relative to unpredictable targets were compared. All groups exhibited facilitation effects greater than 0 (95% CIs [.02, .11], d = .4; [.01, .12], d = .4; and [.01, .10], d = .4, for the children, young adults, and older adults, respectively) indicating that contextual cueing is robust across a wide age range. The relative magnitude of contextual cueing effects was essentially identical across the age range tested, F(2, 103) = 1.71, eta rho2 = .02. The authors argue that a mechanism that uses environmental covariation is available to all age ranges, but the expression of the contextual cueing may depend on the way it is measured.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward C Merrill
- Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 35487-0348 USA.
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25
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Differential effects of age on subcomponents of response inhibition. Neurobiol Aging 2013; 34:2183-93. [PMID: 23591131 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Revised: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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26
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Kalicinski M, Lobinger BH. Benefits of Motor and Exercise Imagery for Older Adults. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1515/jirspa-2012-0003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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27
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Simmering VR, Perone S. Working memory capacity as a dynamic process. Front Psychol 2013; 3:567. [PMID: 23335902 PMCID: PMC3538562 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 11/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A well-known characteristic of working memory (WM) is its limited capacity. The source of such limitations, however, is a continued point of debate. Developmental research is positioned to address this debate by jointly identifying the source(s) of limitations and the mechanism(s) underlying capacity increases. Here we provide a cross-domain survey of studies and theories of WM capacity development, which reveals a complex picture: dozens of studies from 50 papers show nearly universal increases in capacity estimates with age, but marked variation across studies, tasks, and domains. We argue that the full pattern of performance cannot be captured through traditional approaches emphasizing single causes, or even multiple separable causes, underlying capacity development. Rather, we consider WM capacity as a dynamic process that emerges from a unified cognitive system flexibly adapting to the context and demands of each task. We conclude by enumerating specific challenges for researchers and theorists that will need to be met in order to move our understanding forward.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sammy Perone
- Department of Psychology, University of Iowa and Delta CenterIowa City, IA, USA
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28
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Seidler RD, Schott N. Mechanismen altersassoziierter Abnahmen im motorischen Lernprozess. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR SPORTPSYCHOLOGIE 2013. [DOI: 10.1026/1612-5010/a000089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Ältere Menschen müssen unter Umständen neu lernen, wie sie mit technischen Geräten umgehen können oder sie müssen nach einer Verletzung wieder lernen, sich um sich selbst zu kümmern (z. B. Anziehen von Kleidung). Eine Reihe von Studien und auch unsere eigene Arbeit zeigen eine nachlassende Fähigkeit von älteren Personen, neue manuelle motorische Fertigkeiten zu lernen. Wir konnten nachweisen, dass das räumliche Arbeitsgedächtnis („spatial working memory“, SWM) in beiden Formen des motorischen Lernens eine bedeutende Rolle spielt, nämlich der sensomotorischen Adaptation und im Lernen von motorischen Sequenzen. Unsere Arbeiten zeigten, dass die Leistung des SWM prädiktiv für das Ausmaß in Bezug auf das motorische Lernen bei jungen Menschen ist. Des Weiteren beobachteten wir signifikante neuronale Überlappungen während der Ausführung einer SWM-Aufgabe in frühen, aber nicht späten Phasen der Adaptation. Im Gegensatz dazu zeigte sich, dass ältere Menschen nicht die gleichen Gehirnareale aktivierten wie jüngere Menschen, wenn eine neue Aufgabe gelernt werden sollte. Es konnten keine Korrelationen zwischen den Leistungen des SWM und dem Ausmaß der sensomotorischen Adaptation noch zwischen den Leistungen des SWM und dem Ausmaß im Erlernen motorischer Sequenzen bei älteren Personen gefunden werden. Daraus kann geschlossen werden, dass ältere Personen das SWM in frühen Phasen des motorischen Lernens nicht erfolgreich einsetzen und dass sie bei der Kontrolle einfacher Aufgaben stärker auf kognitive Prozesse angewiesen sind. Im Gegensatz dazu greifen sie bei komplexeren Aufgaben jedoch weniger auf diese kognitiven Prozesse zurück. Ein Verständnis darüber, wie das motorische Lernen erhalten bleiben kann bzw. welche Limitationen es gibt ist u. a. dann wichtig, wenn geeignete Rehabilitationsmaßnahmen generiert werden sollen.
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Ren J, Wu YD, Chan JSY, Yan JH. Cognitive aging affects motor performance and learning. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 13:19-27. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2012.00914.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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30
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Pediatric functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging: tactics for encouraging task compliance. Behav Brain Funct 2011; 7:10. [PMID: 21548928 PMCID: PMC3113722 DOI: 10.1186/1744-9081-7-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2010] [Accepted: 05/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neuroimaging technology has afforded advances in our understanding of normal and pathological brain function and development in children and adolescents. However, noncompliance involving the inability to remain in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to complete tasks is one common and significant problem. Task noncompliance is an especially significant problem in pediatric functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research because increases in noncompliance produces a greater risk that a study sample will not be representative of the study population. Method In this preliminary investigation, we describe the development and application of an approach for increasing the number of fMRI tasks children complete during neuroimaging. Twenty-eight healthy children ages 9-13 years participated. Generalization of the approach was examined in additional fMRI and event-related potential investigations with children at risk for depression, children with anxiety and children with depression (N = 120). Essential features of the approach include a preference assessment for identifying multiple individualized rewards, increasing reinforcement rates during imaging by pairing tasks with chosen rewards and presenting a visual 'road map' listing tasks, rewards and current progress. Results Our results showing a higher percentage of fMRI task completion by healthy children provides proof of concept data for the recommended tactics. Additional support was provided by results showing our approach generalized to several additional fMRI and event-related potential investigations and clinical populations. Discussion We proposed that some forms of task noncompliance may emerge from less than optimal reward protocols. While our findings may not directly support the effectiveness of the multiple reward compliance protocol, increased attention to how rewards are selected and delivered may aid cooperation with completing fMRI tasks Conclusion The proposed approach contributes to the pediatric neuroimaging literature by providing a useful way to conceptualize and measure task noncompliance and by providing simple cost effective tactics for improving the effectiveness of common reward-based protocols.
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Hale S, Rose NS, Myerson J, Strube MJ, Sommers M, Tye-Murray N, Spehar B. The structure of working memory abilities across the adult life span. Psychol Aging 2011; 26:92-110. [PMID: 21299306 PMCID: PMC3062735 DOI: 10.1037/a0021483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The present study addresses three questions regarding age differences in working memory: (1) whether performance on complex span tasks decreases as a function of age at a faster rate than performance on simple span tasks; (2) whether spatial working memory decreases at a faster rate than verbal working memory; and (3) whether the structure of working memory abilities is different for different age groups. Adults, ages 20-89 (n = 388), performed three simple and three complex verbal span tasks and three simple and three complex spatial memory tasks. Performance on the spatial tasks decreased at faster rates as a function of age than performance on the verbal tasks, but within each domain, performance on complex and simple span tasks decreased at the same rates. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that domain-differentiated models yielded better fits than models involving domain-general constructs, providing further evidence of the need to distinguish verbal and spatial working memory abilities. Regardless of which domain-differentiated model was examined, and despite the faster rates of decrease in the spatial domain, age group comparisons revealed that the factor structure of working memory abilities was highly similar in younger and older adults and showed no evidence of age-related dedifferentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Hale
- Department of Psychology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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Anguera JA, Reuter-Lorenz PA, Willingham DT, Seidler RD. Failure to engage spatial working memory contributes to age-related declines in visuomotor learning. J Cogn Neurosci 2011; 23:11-25. [PMID: 20146609 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2010.21451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
It is well documented that both cognitive and motor learning abilities decline with normative aging. Given that cognitive processes such as working memory are engaged during the early stages of motor learning [Anguera, J., Reuter-Lorenz, P., Willingham, D., & Seidler, R. Contributions of spatial working memory to visuomotor learning. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22(9), 1917-1930, 2010], age-related declines in motor learning may be due in part to reductions in cognitive ability. The present study examined whether age-related declines in spatial working memory (SWM) contribute to deficits in visuomotor adaptation. Young and older adult participants performed a visuomotor adaptation task that involved adapting manual aiming movements to a 30° rotation of the visual feedback display as well as an SWM task in an fMRI scanner. Young adults showed a steeper learning curve than older adults during the early adaptation period. The rate of early adaptation was correlated with SWM performance for the young, but not older, adults. Both groups showed similar brain activation patterns for the SWM task, including engagement of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral inferior parietal lobules. However, when the SWM activation was used as a limiting mask, younger adults showed neural activation that overlapped with the early adaptation period, whereas older adults did not. A partial correlation controlling for age revealed that the rate of early adaptation correlated with the amount of activation at the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that a failure to effectively engage SWM processes during learning contributes to age-related deficits in visuomotor adaptation.
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Oberauer K, Kliegl R. Beyond resources: Formal models of complexity effects and age differences in working memory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1080/09541440042000278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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Johnson W, Logie RH, Brockmole JR. Working memory tasks differ in factor structure across age cohorts: Implications for dedifferentiation. INTELLIGENCE 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2010.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Brown LA, Brockmole JR. The role of attention in binding visual features in working memory: evidence from cognitive ageing. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2010; 63:2067-79. [PMID: 20446186 DOI: 10.1080/17470211003721675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to assess the costs of attentional load during a feature (colour-shape) binding task in younger and older adults. Experiment 1 showed that a demanding backwards counting task, which draws upon central executive/general attentional resources, reduced binding to a greater extent than individual feature memory, but the effect was no greater in older than in younger adults. Experiment 2 showed that presenting memory items sequentially rather than simultaneously, such that items are required to be maintained while new representations are created, selectively affects binding performance in both age groups. Although this experiment exhibited an age-related binding deficit overall, both age groups were affected by the attention manipulation to an equal extent. While a role for attentional processes in colour-shape binding was apparent across both experiments, manipulations of attention exerted equal effects in both age groups. We therefore conclude that age-related binding deficits neither emerge nor are exacerbated under conditions of high attentional load. Implications for theories of visual working memory and cognitive ageing are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise A Brown
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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Bopp KL, Verhaeghen P. Working memory and aging: separating the effects of content and context. Psychol Aging 2010; 24:968-80. [PMID: 20025410 DOI: 10.1037/a0017731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In 3 experiments, we investigated the hypothesis that age-related differences in working memory might be due to the inability to bind content with context. Participants were required to find a repeating stimulus within a single series (no context memory required) or within multiple series (necessitating memory for context). Response time and accuracy were examined in 2 task domains: verbal and visuospatial. Binding content with context led to longer processing time and poorer accuracy in both age groups, even when working memory load was held constant. Although older adults were overall slower and less accurate than young adults, the need for context memory did not differentially affect their performance. It is therefore unlikely that age differences in working memory are due to specific age-related problems with content-with-context binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara L Bopp
- Department of Psychology, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC 29303, USA.
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Feld JE, Sommers MS. Lipreading, processing speed, and working memory in younger and older adults. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2009; 52:1555-1565. [PMID: 19717657 PMCID: PMC3119632 DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2009/08-0137)] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine several cognitive and perceptual abilities--including working memory (WM), information processing speed (PS), perceptual closure, and perceptual disembedding skill--as factors contributing to individual differences in lipreading performance and to examine how patterns in predictor variables change across age groups. METHOD Forty-three younger adults (mean age = 20.8 years, SD = 2.4) and 38 older adults (mean age = 76.8 years, SD = 5.6) completed tasks measuring lipreading ability, verbal WM, spatial WM (SWM), PS, and perceptual abilities. RESULTS Younger adults demonstrated superior lipreading ability and perceptual skills compared with older adults. In addition, younger participants exhibited longer WM spans and faster PS than did the older participants. SWM and PS accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in lipreading ability in both younger and older adults, and the pattern of predictor variables remained consistent over age groups. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the large individual variability in lipreading ability can be explained, in part, by individual differences in SWM and PS. Furthermore, as both of these abilities are known to decline with age, the findings suggest that age-related impairments in either or both of these abilities may account for the poorer lipreading ability of older compared with younger adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia E Feld
- Washington University in St. Louis, Psychology Department, Campus Box 1125, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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Burda AN, Bradley-Potter M, Dralle J, Murphy J, Ries S, Roehs A. Influence of age and native language on immediate verbal repetition. Percept Mot Skills 2009; 109:169-76. [PMID: 19831098 DOI: 10.2466/pms.109.1.169-176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objectives of this quasi-experimental study were to assess whether age of listeners and native language of the speaker affected the accurate repetition of words, sentences, and utterances, including medical vocabulary. Two experiments were conducted. In Exp. 1, 20 young adults and 20 older adults repeated 60 words and 30 sentences produced by native and nonnative English speakers. In Exp. 2, 30 young adults and 30 older adults repeated medically oriented utterances spoken by native and nonnative English speakers. Analysis showed that older adults had significantly lower repetition scores (accuracy) than the young adults on all tasks. Both groups had significantly higher repetition scores on items produced by native English speakers than nonnative English speakers. Investigations should focus on strategies which may aid native English speakers in understanding non-native English speakers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela N Burda
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Northern Iowa, 230 Communication Arts Center, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0356, USA.
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Bailey H, Dunlosky J, Hertzog C. Does differential strategy use account for age-related deficits in working-memory performance? Psychol Aging 2009; 24:82-92. [PMID: 19290740 DOI: 10.1037/a0014078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The strategy-deficit hypothesis states that age differences in the use of effective strategies contribute to age-related deficits in working memory span performance. To evaluate this hypothesis, strategy use was measured with set-by-set strategy reports during the Reading Span task (Experiments 1 and 2) and the Operation Span task (Experiment 2). Individual differences in the reported use of effective strategies accounted for substantial variance in span performance. In contrast to the strategy-deficit hypothesis, however, young and older adults reported using the same proportion of normatively effective strategies on both span tasks. Measures of processing speed accounted for a substantial proportion of the age-related variance in span performance. Thus, although use of normatively effective strategies accounts for individual differences in span performance, age differences in effective strategy use cannot explain the age-related variance in that performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA.
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Rose NS, Myerson J, Sommers MS, Hale S. Are there age differences in the executive component of working memory? Evidence from domain-general interference effects. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2009; 16:633-53. [PMID: 19401863 DOI: 10.1080/13825580902825238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Young and older adults performed verbal and spatial storage-only and storage-plus-processing working memory tasks while performing a secondary finger tapping task, and the effects on both the maximum capacity (measured as the longest series correct) and the reliability (measured as the proportion of items correct) of working memory were assessed. Tapping tended to produce greater disruption of working memory tasks that place greater demands on executive processes (i.e., storage-plus-processing tasks compared to storage-only span tasks). Moreover, tapping produced domain-general interference, disrupting both verbal and spatial working memory, providing further support for the idea that tapping interferes with the executive component of the working memory system, rather than domain-specific maintenance processes. Nevertheless, tapping generally produced equivalent interference effects in young and older adults. Taken together, these findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis that age-related declines in working memory are primarily attributable to a deficit in the executive component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S Rose
- Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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Working memory and inhibitory control across the life span: Intrusion errors in the Reading Span Test. Mem Cognit 2009; 37:336-45. [PMID: 19246348 DOI: 10.3758/mc.37.3.336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Meijer WA, de Groot RHM, Van Boxtel MPJ, Van Gerven PWM, Jolles J. Are Age Differences in Verbal Learning Related to Interstimulus Interval and Education? Exp Aging Res 2008; 34:323-39. [DOI: 10.1080/03610730802273910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Delaloye C, Ludwig C, Borella E, Chicherio C, de Ribaupierre A. L’Empan de lecture comme épreuve mesurant la capacité de mémoire de travail : normes basées sur une population francophone de 775 adultes jeunes et âgés. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY-REVUE EUROPEENNE DE PSYCHOLOGIE APPLIQUEE 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.erap.2006.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Working memory and inhibition across the adult life-span. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2008; 128:33-44. [PMID: 17983608 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2007.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2007] [Revised: 09/14/2007] [Accepted: 09/20/2007] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has shown that age-related changes in cognitive performance are due mostly to the decline of general factors such as working memory and inhibition. The present study is aimed at investigating age-related changes in these mechanisms across the adult life-span from 20 to 86 years of age. Results indicate a linear relationship between each working memory measure and age, independently of the nature of the task, and a quadratic relationship between the single inhibitory measures and age. Moreover, hierarchical regression analyses show that inhibition accounts for a significant, but modest, part of the age-related variance in working memory. Taken together, these results suggest that inhibition is not as crucial a contributor of age-related changes in the functional capacity of working memory across the adult life-span as previously thought.
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Dumas JA, Hartman M. Adult Age Differences in the Access and Deletion Functions of Inhibition. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2008; 15:330-57. [DOI: 10.1080/13825580701534601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Chen J, Hale S, Myerson J. Predicting the size of individual and group differences on speeded cognitive tasks. Psychon Bull Rev 2007; 14:534-41. [PMID: 17874602 DOI: 10.3758/bf03194103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
An a priori test of the difference engine model (Myerson, Hale, Zheng, Jenkins, & Widaman, 2003) was conducted using a large, diverse sample of individuals who performed three speeded verbal tasks and three speeded visuospatial tasks. Results demonstrated that, as predicted by the model, the group standard deviation (SD) on any task was proportional to the amount of processing required by that task. Both individual performances as well as those of fast and slow subgroups could be accurately predicted by the model using no free parameters, just an individual or subgroup's mean z-score and the values of theoretical constructs estimated from fits to the group SDs. Taken together, these results are consistent with post hoc analyses reported by Myerson et al. and provide even stronger supporting evidence. In particular, the ability to make quantitative predictions without using any free parameters provides the clearest demonstration to date of the power of an analytic approach on the basis of the difference engine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Chen
- Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan 49401, USA.
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Bopp KL, Verhaeghen P. Age-Related Differences in Control Processes in Verbal and Visuospatial Working Memory: Storage, Transformation, Supervision, and Coordination. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2007; 62:P239-46. [PMID: 17906164 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/62.5.p239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We explored age differences in transformation, supervision, and coordination processes in verbal and visuospatial repetition-detection tasks. Older adults processed information more slowly and less accurately than did younger adults, especially in the visuospatial task. However, there were no process-specific age-related differences in the visuospatial domain. In the verbal domain, task conditions requiring supervision and coordination showed larger age effects than the baseline or transformation conditions. Taken together, the findings provide support for a process- and domain-specific account of age-related differences in cognitive control, which may be tied to an age-related deficit in the maintenance of two separate sets of representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara L Bopp
- Department of Psychology, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC 29303, USA.
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Shackman AJ, Sarinopoulos I, Maxwell JS, Pizzagalli DA, Lavric A, Davidson RJ. Anxiety selectively disrupts visuospatial working memory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 6:40-61. [PMID: 16637749 DOI: 10.1037/1528-3542.6.1.40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
On the basis of a review of the extant literature describing emotion-cognition interactions, the authors propose 4 methodological desiderata for studying how task-irrelevant affect modulates cognition and present data from an experiment satisfying them. Consistent with accounts of the hemispheric asymmetries characterizing withdrawal-related negative affect and visuospatial working memory (WM) in prefrontal and parietal cortices, threat-induced anxiety selectively disrupted accuracy of spatial but not verbal WM performance. Furthermore, individual differences in physiological measures of anxiety statistically mediated the degree of disruption. A second experiment revealed that individuals characterized by high levels of behavioral inhibition exhibited more intense anxiety and relatively worse spatial WM performance in the absence of threat, solidifying the authors' inference that anxiety causally mediates disruption. These observations suggest a revision of extant models of how anxiety sculpts cognition and underscore the utility of the desiderata.
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Robertson S, Myerson J, Hale S. Are there age differences in intraindividual variability in working memory performance? J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2006; 61:P18-24. [PMID: 16399937 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/61.1.p18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested, primarily based on response time (RT) data, that there is an age-related increase in intraindividual variability. To determine whether older adults show more intraindividual variability in working memory (WM) performance, we had younger and older adults perform three verbal WM tasks of varying complexity as well as a same-different judgment RT task. For both groups, individual performance tended to be more variable on the two complex span tasks than on the simple span task. Although older adults showed greater variability on the RT task, consistent with previous studies, they did not show greater variability on any of the WM tasks. These findings fail to support theories of frontal lobe aging that predict greater moment-to-moment fluctuations in the performance of older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon Robertson
- Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1125, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA.
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Borella E, Carretti B, Mammarella I. Do working memory and susceptibility to interference predict individual differences in fluid intelligence? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1080/09541440500215962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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