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Chuderski A, Chinta SR. Transcranial alternating current stimulation barely enhances working memory in healthy adults: A meta-analysis. Brain Res 2024; 1839:149022. [PMID: 38801916 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.149022] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is a pivotal neural mechanism for cognitive function and ability. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) was used to improve WM by entraining key brain rhythms. We submitted to meta-analysis 143 effects of tACS on WM performance, found in 42 reports published between 2014 and 2023, encompassing a total of 1386 healthy adults stimulated. The overall effect size of 134 interventions intended to improve WM equaled Hedges' g = 0.076 [0.039, 0.113]. However, after correcting for a significant publication bias this effect size dropped to zero. By contrast, 9 interventions distorting the brain synchronization using antiphase tACS reliably decreased WM performance, with Hedges' g = -0.266, [-0.458, -0.074]. Individuating the targeted frequency band was the only reliable moderator. The disparity between our null outcome and moderately positive tACS effects estimated by previous meta-analyses resulted from our inclusion of the most recent studies mostly reporting negligible effects. Our results suggest that current tACS protocols barely enhance WM in healthy adults. More research is needed to develop effective methods for WM stimulation.
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Ishiguro S, Paterson RL, Saito S. Positive correlation between working memory and face-to-face social interaction in everyday life. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2024; 248:104402. [PMID: 39003992 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104402] [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: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM) plays a crucial role in various cognitive tasks from language comprehension to problem-solving. However, its influence on social activities has remained largely unexplored. The current two studies on individual differences, a pilot (N = 329) and a pre-registered direct replication (N = 338) study, investigated the relationship between WM and outside-the-lab social interaction by using a listening span task and three social network questionnaires (e.g., how many people a participant had contacted in the past month). The consistent patterns in the two studies were (a) WM recall was positively correlated with social network size, (b) WM recall remained positively correlated with social network size even when accounting for online interactions on WhatsApp and Facebook, and (c) WM recall was positively correlated with social network size by face-to-face interaction. These novel findings would suggest connections between WM and face-to-face social interaction. It was, however, acknowledged that the obtained effect sizes were small, and that further investigation is indeed necessary. In light of this, we also clarify future directions for understanding the relationship between WM and social interaction.
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Mertel K, Dimitrijevic A, Thaut M. Can Music Enhance Working Memory and Speech in Noise Perception in Cochlear Implant Users? Design Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Behavioral and Electrophysiological Study. Audiol Res 2024; 14:611-624. [PMID: 39051196 PMCID: PMC11270222 DOI: 10.3390/audiolres14040052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A cochlear implant (CI) enables deaf people to understand speech but due to technical restrictions, users face great limitations in noisy conditions. Music training has been shown to augment shared auditory and cognitive neural networks for processing speech and music and to improve auditory-motor coupling, which benefits speech perception in noisy listening conditions. These are promising prerequisites for studying multi-modal neurologic music training (NMT) for speech-in-noise (SIN) perception in adult cochlear implant (CI) users. Furthermore, a better understanding of the neurophysiological correlates when performing working memory (WM) and SIN tasks after multi-modal music training with CI users may provide clinicians with a better understanding of optimal rehabilitation. METHODS Within 3 months, 81 post-lingual deafened adult CI recipients will undergo electrophysiological recordings and a four-week neurologic music therapy multi-modal training randomly assigned to one of three training focusses (pitch, rhythm, and timbre). Pre- and post-tests will analyze behavioral outcomes and apply a novel electrophysiological measurement approach that includes neural tracking to speech and alpha oscillation modulations to the sentence-final-word-identification-and-recall test (SWIR-EEG). Expected outcome: Short-term multi-modal music training will enhance WM and SIN performance in post-lingual deafened adult CI recipients and will be reflected in greater neural tracking and alpha oscillation modulations in prefrontal areas. Prospectively, outcomes could contribute to understanding the relationship between cognitive functioning and SIN besides the technical deficits of the CI. Targeted clinical application of music training for post-lingual deafened adult CI carriers to significantly improve SIN and positively impact the quality of life can be realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Mertel
- Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC), University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1C5, Canada;
| | - Andrew Dimitrijevic
- Sunnybrook Cochlear Implant Program, Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada;
| | - Michael Thaut
- Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC), University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1C5, Canada;
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Noh K, Baumgartner NW, Onbasi SI, Kao SC. The relationship of aerobic fitness with verbal and spatial working memory: An ERP study. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2024; 286:211-234. [PMID: 38876576 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2024.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) plays an important role in daily life and is known to correlated with aerobic fitness. However, whether the relationship between aerobic fitness and WM is dependent on the stimulus modality or is associated with one or multiple subprocesses involved in WM remains unknown. Accordingly, this study utilized event-related potentials (ERPs) to comprehensively examine the encoding, preparation, and retrieval processes during verbal and spatial WM performance. Eighty-eight young adults aged 18-30years were recruited to participate in two laboratory visits on separate days. On day 1, aerobic fitness was assessed by maximum oxygen consumption (V˙O2max) during a treadmill-based graded exercise test. On day 2, participants completed verbal and spatial WM tasks while P2, contingent negative voltage (CNV), and P3 components of ERP were recorded during the encoding, preparatory, and retrieval stages of WM, respectively. Results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that V˙O2max was positively correlated with response accuracy during the high-demanding condition of spatial WM after controlling for age, sex, and self-reported physical activity. Additionally, a higher level of V˙O2max was associated with larger terminal CNV amplitude at the Cz electrode during the high-demanding condition of spatial WM. These findings suggest that aerobic fitness may have selective beneficial associations with the motor preparatory process and subsequent task performance requiring a greater amount of spatial information but not the encoding and retrieval stages nor the verbal modality of WM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoungmin Noh
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Nicholas W Baumgartner
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Salim Ibrahim Onbasi
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Shih-Chun Kao
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States.
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Flores-Gallegos R, Fernández T, Alcauter S, Pasaye E, Albarrán-Cárdenas L, Barrera-Díaz B, Rodríguez-Leis P. Functional connectivity is linked to working memory differences in children with reading learning disability. BMC Pediatr 2024; 24:318. [PMID: 38720281 PMCID: PMC11077889 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-024-04791-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Reading learning disability (RLD) is characterized by a specific difficulty in learning to read that is not better explained by an intellectual disability, lack of instruction, psychosocial adversity, or a neurological disorder. According to the domain-general hypothesis, a working memory deficit is the primary problem. Working memory in this population has recently been linked to altered resting-state functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and frontoparietal network (FPN) compared to that in typically developing individuals. The main purpose of the present study was to compare the within-network functional connectivity of the DMN, SN, FPN, and reading network in two groups of children with RLD: a group with lower-than-average working memory (LWM) and a group with average working memory (AWM). All subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and data were analyzed from a network perspective using the network brain statistics framework. The results showed that the LWM group had significantly weaker connectivity in a network that involved brain regions in the DMN, SN, and FPN than the AWM group. Although there was no significant difference between groups in reading network in the present study, other studies have shown relationship of the connectivity of the angular gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobe with the phonological process of reading. The results suggest that although there are significant differences in functional connectivity in the associated networks between children with LWM and AWM, the distinctive cognitive profile has no specific effect on the reading network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Flores-Gallegos
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México
| | - Thalía Fernández
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México.
| | - Sarael Alcauter
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México
| | - Erick Pasaye
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México
| | - Lucero Albarrán-Cárdenas
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México
| | - Bertha Barrera-Díaz
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México
| | - Paulina Rodríguez-Leis
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México
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Shen J, Sun J, Zhang Z, Sun B, Li H, Liu Y. The Effect of Hearing Loss and Working Memory Capacity on Context Use and Reliance on Context in Older Adults. Ear Hear 2024; 45:787-800. [PMID: 38273447 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000001470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Older adults often complain of difficulty in communicating in noisy environments. Contextual information is considered an important cue for identifying everyday speech. To date, it has not been clear exactly how context use (CU) and reliance on context in older adults are affected by hearing status and cognitive function. The present study examined the effects of semantic context on the performance of speech recognition, recall, perceived listening effort (LE), and noise tolerance, and further explored the impacts of hearing loss and working memory capacity on CU and reliance on context among older adults. DESIGN Fifty older adults with normal hearing and 56 older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss between the ages of 60 and 95 years participated in this study. A median split of the backward digit span further classified the participants into high working memory (HWM) and low working memory (LWM) capacity groups. Each participant performed high- and low-context Repeat and Recall tests, including a sentence repeat and delayed recall task, subjective assessments of LE, and tolerable time under seven signal to noise ratios (SNRs). CU was calculated as the difference between high- and low-context sentences for each outcome measure. The proportion of context use (PCU) in high-context performance was taken as the reliance on context to explain the degree to which participants relied on context when they repeated and recalled high-context sentences. RESULTS Semantic context helps improve the performance of speech recognition and delayed recall, reduces perceived LE, and prolongs noise tolerance in older adults with and without hearing loss. In addition, the adverse effects of hearing loss on the performance of repeat tasks were more pronounced in low context than in high context, whereas the effects on recall tasks and noise tolerance time were more significant in high context than in low context. Compared with other tasks, the CU and PCU in repeat tasks were more affected by listening status and working memory capacity. In the repeat phase, hearing loss increased older adults' reliance on the context of a relatively challenging listening environment, as shown by the fact that when the SNR was 0 and -5 dB, the PCU (repeat) of the hearing loss group was significantly greater than that of the normal-hearing group, whereas there was no significant difference between the two hearing groups under the remaining SNRs. In addition, older adults with LWM had significantly greater CU and PCU in repeat tasks than those with HWM, especially at SNRs with moderate task demands. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, semantic context not only improved speech perception intelligibility but also released cognitive resources for memory encoding in older adults. Mild-to-moderate hearing loss and LWM capacity in older adults significantly increased the use and reliance on semantic context, which was also modulated by the level of SNR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayuan Shen
- School of Medical Technology and Information Engineering, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiayu Sun
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhikai Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Baoxuan Sun
- Training Department, Widex Hearing Aid (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | - Haitao Li
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work and are co-corresponding authors
| | - Yuhe Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work and are co-corresponding authors
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Tang R, Buchholz E, Dale AM, Rissman RA, Fennema-Notestine C, Gillespie NA, Hagler DJ, Lyons MJ, Neale MC, Panizzon MS, Puckett OK, Reynolds CA, Franz CE, Kremen WS, Elman JA. Associations of plasma neurofilament light chain with cognition and neuroimaging measures in community-dwelling early old age men. Alzheimers Res Ther 2024; 16:90. [PMID: 38664843 PMCID: PMC11044425 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-024-01464-1] [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: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a promising biomarker of neurodegeneration with potential clinical utility in monitoring the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the cross-sectional associations of plasma NfL with measures of cognition and brain have been inconsistent in community-dwelling populations. METHODS We examined these associations in a large community-dwelling sample of early old age men (N = 969, mean age = 67.57 years, range = 61-73 years), who are either cognitively unimpaired (CU) or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Specifically, we investigated five cognitive domains (executive function, episodic memory, verbal fluency, processing speed, visual-spatial ability), as well as neuroimaging measures of gray and white matter. RESULTS After adjusting for age, health status, and young adult general cognitive ability, plasma NfL level was only significantly associated with processing speed and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, but not with other cognitive or neuroimaging measures. The association with processing speed was driven by individuals with MCI, as it was not detected in CU individuals. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that in early old age men without dementia, plasma NfL does not appear to be sensitive to cross-sectional individual differences in most domains of cognition or neuroimaging measures of gray and white matter. The revealed plasma NfL associations were limited to WMH for all participants and processing speed only within the MCI cohort. Importantly, considering cognitive status in community-based samples will better inform the interpretation of the relationships of plasma NfL with cognition and brain and may help resolve mixed findings in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongxiang Tang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA.
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA.
| | - Erik Buchholz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Anders M Dale
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Robert A Rissman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Christine Fennema-Notestine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Nathan A Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavior Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Donald J Hagler
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Michael J Lyons
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, 02215, USA
| | - Michael C Neale
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavior Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
| | - Matthew S Panizzon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Olivia K Puckett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Chandra A Reynolds
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, 80309, USA
| | - Carol E Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - William S Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
| | - Jeremy A Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA
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Chen TY. ENIGMA: A Web Application for Running Online Artificial Grammar Learning Experiments. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2024; 53:38. [PMID: 38656669 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-024-10078-5] [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] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Artificial grammar learning (AGL) is an experimental paradigm frequently adopted to investigate the unconscious and conscious learning and application of linguistic knowledge. This paper will introduce ENIGMA ( https://enigma-lang.org ) as a free, flexible, and lightweight Web-based tool for running online AGL experiments. The application is optimized for desktop and mobile devices with a user-friendly interface, which can present visual and aural stimuli and elicit judgment responses with RT measures. Without limits in time and space, ENIGMA could help collect more data from participants with diverse personal and language backgrounds and variable cognitive skills. Such data are essential to explain complex factors influencing learners' performance in AGL experiments and answer various research questions regarding L1/L2 acquisition. The introduction of the core features in ENIGMA is followed by an example study that partially replicated Chen (Lang Acquis 27(3):331-361, 2020) to illustrate possible experimental designs and examine the quality of the collected data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsung-Ying Chen
- Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Guangfu Road, Hsinchu, 300044, Taiwan.
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Dargahi Nobari K, Bertram T. A multimodal driver monitoring benchmark dataset for driver modeling in assisted driving automation. Sci Data 2024; 11:327. [PMID: 38555295 PMCID: PMC10981655 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03137-y] [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: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
In driver monitoring various data types are collected from drivers and used for interpreting, modeling, and predicting driver behavior, and designing interactions. Aim of this contribution is to introduce manD 1.0, a multimodal dataset that can be used as a benchmark for driver monitoring in the context of automated driving. manD is the short form of human dimension in automated driving. manD 1.0 refers to a dataset that contains data from multiple driver monitoring sensors collected from 50 participants, gender-balanced, aged between 21 to 65 years. They drove through five different driving scenarios in a static driving simulator under controlled laboratory conditions. The automation level (SAE International, Standard J3016) ranged from SAE L0 (no automation, manual) to SAE L3 (conditional automation, temporal). To capture data reflecting various mental and physical states of the subjects, the scenarios encompassed a range of distinct driving events and conditions. manD 1.0 includes environmental data such as traffic and weather conditions, vehicle data like the SAE level and driving parameters, and driver state that covers physiology, body movements, activities, gaze, and facial information, all synchronized. This dataset supports applications like data-driven modeling, prediction of driver reactions, crafting of interaction strategies, and research into motion sickness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khazar Dargahi Nobari
- TU Dortmund University, Institute of Control Theory and Systems Engineering, Otto-Hahn-Str. 8, 44227, Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Torsten Bertram
- TU Dortmund University, Institute of Control Theory and Systems Engineering, Otto-Hahn-Str. 8, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
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Keller TA, Mason RA, Legg AE, Just MA. The neural and cognitive basis of expository text comprehension. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2024; 9:21. [PMID: 38514702 PMCID: PMC10957871 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-024-00232-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
As science and technology rapidly progress, it becomes increasingly important to understand how individuals comprehend expository technical texts that explain these advances. This study examined differences in individual readers' technical comprehension performance and differences among texts, using functional brain imaging to measure regional brain activity while students read passages on technical topics and then took a comprehension test. Better comprehension of the technical passages was related to higher activation in regions of the left inferior frontal gyrus, left superior parietal lobe, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and bilateral hippocampus. These areas are associated with the construction of a mental model of the passage and with the integration of new and prior knowledge in memory. Poorer comprehension of the passages was related to greater activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus, areas involved in autobiographical and episodic memory retrieval. More comprehensible passages elicited more brain activation associated with establishing links among different types of information in the text and activation associated with establishing conceptual coherence within the text representation. These findings converge with previous behavioral research in their implications for teaching technical learners to become better comprehenders and for improving the structure of instructional texts, to facilitate scientific and technological comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Keller
- Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
| | - Robert A Mason
- Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Aliza E Legg
- Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Marcel Adam Just
- Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
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Beckerson M, Paisley C, Murdaugh D, Holm H, Lemelman A, Spencer A, O'Kelley S, Kana R. Reading comprehension improvement in autism. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1292018. [PMID: 38563029 PMCID: PMC10982812 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1292018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction A subset of autistic children excel at word decoding but have difficulty with reading comprehension (i.e., the discrepant poor comprehender reading profile). Prior research suggests the Visualizing and Verbalizing (V/V) for language comprehension and thinking intervention helps improve reading comprehension in autistic children with this reading profile. Previous studies have demonstrated the role of vocabulary, memory, and social functioning in reading comprehension; however, predictors and moderators of reading comprehension within this specific profile of autistic readers have not been thoroughly explored. Methods In this study, we examined the effectiveness of the V/V intervention by comparing reading comprehension scores between groups and across time. Participants included a sample of autistic children (AUT-EXP; n=22) and a waitlist control group of autistic children (AUT-WLC; n=17) with reading comprehension difficulties, as well as a sample of non-autistic children (Non-AUT; n=26) (all age 8-13 years). AUT-EXP and AUT-WLC groups completed a battery of cognitive assessments during pre and post tests. We also analyzed whether cognitive assessment scores predicted reading comprehension, and examined the moderating effects of group (AUT-EXP vs. AUT-WLC) on these relationships. Results The AUT-EXP group significantly improved in their pre to post reading comprehension scores (t(21)=4.19, p<.001, d=.89), whereas the AUT-WLC group did not. Verbal memory significantly predicted reading comprehension, though group did not moderate relationships between cognitive test performance and reading comprehension. Discussion Results suggest that the V/V intervention may help improve reading comprehension for autistic children with the discrepant poor comprehender reading profile. Additionally, strategies for improving verbal memory may indirectly enhance reading comprehension in autistic children with this reading profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan Beckerson
- Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Courtney Paisley
- Department of Developmental Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Donna Murdaugh
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Haley Holm
- Department of Neuropsychology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Amy Lemelman
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Alyssa Spencer
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Sarah O'Kelley
- Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Rajesh Kana
- Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
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Ociepka M, Chinta SR, Basoń P, Chuderski A. No effects of the theta-frequency transcranial electrical stimulation for recall, attention control, and relation integration in working memory. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1354671. [PMID: 38439936 PMCID: PMC10910036 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1354671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Recent studies have suggested that transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and especially the theta-frequency tACS, can improve human performance on working memory tasks. However, evidence to date is mixed. Moreover, the two WM tasks applied most frequently, namely the n-back and change-detection tasks, might not constitute canonical measures of WM capacity. Method In a relatively large sample of young healthy participants (N = 62), we administered a more canonical WM task that required stimuli recall, as well as we applied two WM tasks tapping into other key WM functions: attention control (the antisaccade task) and relational integration (the graph mapping task). The participants performed these three tasks three times: during the left frontal 5.5-Hz and the left parietal 5.5-Hz tACS session as well as during the sham session, with a random order of sessions. Attentional vigilance and subjective experience were monitored. Results For each task administered, we observed significant gains in accuracy neither for the frontal tACS session nor for the parietal tACS session, as compared to the sham session. By contrast, the scores on each task positively inter-correlated across the three sessions. Discussion The results suggest that canonical measures of WM capacity are strongly stable in time and hardly affected by theta-frequency tACS. Either the tACS effects observed in the n-back and change detection tasks do not generalize onto other WM tasks, or the tACS method has limited effectiveness with regard to WM, and might require further methodological advancements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Ociepka
- Department of Cognitive Science, Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Paweł Basoń
- Department of Cognitive Science, Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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13
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Ruffini C, Osmani F, Martini C, Giera WK, Pecini C. The relationship between executive functions and writing in children: a systematic review. Child Neuropsychol 2024; 30:105-163. [PMID: 36748722 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2170998] [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: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Writing is a complex task that is acquired in the early primary school years and continues to develop through adolescence and beyond. Studying the cognitive processes that support writing skills during the acquisition phase may be crucial to support this complex skill especially in less-skilled writers. Executive Functions (EF) could have an important role as they are high cognitive control processes that allow individuals to control and plan thoughts and actions in order to achieve a goal. Given that EF have a crucial development during childhood, when the basic writing skills are acquired, this systematic review aims to investigate the contribution of the main EF components to the writing process in children. Search string focused on three main concepts: executive functions, writing, and children. Twenty-six studies were included following the guidelines of the PRISMA Statement. From the analyzed studies, working memory, in comparison to inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and planning, emerged as the most studied and the most related to writing skills. Nevertheless, the results also support the involvement of all EF basic components in writing, with a role that could vary depending on the considered writing process.0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Costanza Ruffini
- Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology (FORLILPSI), University of Florence Firenze FI, Italy
| | - Fatbardha Osmani
- Department of Psychology, University for Business and Technology, Prishta, Kosovo
| | - Chiara Martini
- Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology (FORLILPSI), University of Florence Firenze FI, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Pecini
- Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology (FORLILPSI), University of Florence Firenze FI, Italy
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14
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Pañeda C, Lago S. The Missing VP Illusion in Spanish: Assessing the Role of Language Statistics and Working Memory. Open Mind (Camb) 2024; 8:42-66. [PMID: 38419790 PMCID: PMC10898615 DOI: 10.1162/opmi_a_00118] [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: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
In English, double center-embedded sentences yield a so-called "missing VP illusion": When they are ungrammatical due to a missing verb, they are judged as equally or even more acceptable than their grammatical counterparts. The illusion is often attributed to working memory limitations. Additionally, it has been suggested that statistical differences across languages-e.g., the lower frequency of consecutive verb clusters in verb-initial languages-play a role, since languages with verb-final embedded clauses are less susceptible to the illusion than English. In two speeded acceptability experiments, we demonstrate that the illusion arises in Spanish, a verb-initial language. We also find that the strength of the illusion is modulated by the number of consecutive verbs, consistent with the involvement of language statistics. By contrast, we do not find that participants' working memory modulates the illusion, failing to support a role of memory limitations. Our results support the generalization that cross-linguistic variation in the missing VP illusion is associated with language statistics and verb position and they demonstrate that this is the case even in languages in which word order is not a reliable processing cue.
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15
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Winckel E, Dąbrowska E. Language Analytic Ability, Print Exposure, Memory and Comprehension of Complex Syntax by Adult Native Speakers. J Cogn 2024; 7:7. [PMID: 38223225 PMCID: PMC10785956 DOI: 10.5334/joc.333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Nativist theories of language development assume that all native speakers of a particular language ultimately converge on (more or less) the same grammar, and argue that this is only possible because they are born with a genetic blueprint for language. However, a number of recent studies have found that there are, in fact, considerable individual differences in adult native speakers' grammatical attainment. In this study, we examine some possible reasons for these differences. We examine both learner internal cognitive factors (implicit and explicit memory for sequences, non-verbal working memory, and language analytic ability) as well as an experiential factor (print exposure). In contrast to many earlier studies which focused on the temporal aspects of language processing, we are interested in the extent to which individuals are able to use grammatical cues to extract meaning from complex sentences. To minimize the effect of performance factors, sentences remained on screen while participants responded to comprehension questions (thus easing working memory load) and participants were given as much time as they needed to respond. Our findings revealed large effects of language analytic ability and print exposure, and a much smaller effect of implicit learning. While the effect of implicit learning fits in well with current theories of language acquisition and processing, the first two findings do not. The strong relationship between print exposure and comprehension suggests that the ability to process complex syntax may depend on a particular type of language experience which is not available to all speakers. Finally, the effect of language analytic ability challenges the wide-held conviction that the ability to identify and explicitly reason about linguistic patterns is only relevant in adult second language learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Winckel
- English and American studies, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Philosophische Fakultät und Fachbereich Theologie, Erlangen, DE
| | - Ewa Dąbrowska
- English and American studies, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Philosophische Fakultät und Fachbereich Theologie, Erlangen, DE
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16
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Oberfeld D, Staab K, Kattner F, Ellermeier W. Is Recognition of Speech in Noise Related to Memory Disruption Caused by Irrelevant Sound? Trends Hear 2024; 28:23312165241262517. [PMID: 39051688 PMCID: PMC11273587 DOI: 10.1177/23312165241262517] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Listeners with normal audiometric thresholds show substantial variability in their ability to understand speech in noise (SiN). These individual differences have been reported to be associated with a range of auditory and cognitive abilities. The present study addresses the association between SiN processing and the individual susceptibility of short-term memory to auditory distraction (i.e., the irrelevant sound effect [ISE]). In a sample of 67 young adult participants with normal audiometric thresholds, we measured speech recognition performance in a spatial listening task with two interfering talkers (speech-in-speech identification), audiometric thresholds, binaural sensitivity to the temporal fine structure (interaural phase differences [IPD]), serial memory with and without interfering talkers, and self-reported noise sensitivity. Speech-in-speech processing was not significantly associated with the ISE. The most important predictors of high speech-in-speech recognition performance were a large short-term memory span, low IPD thresholds, bilaterally symmetrical audiometric thresholds, and low individual noise sensitivity. Surprisingly, the susceptibility of short-term memory to irrelevant sound accounted for a substantially smaller amount of variance in speech-in-speech processing than the nondisrupted short-term memory capacity. The data confirm the role of binaural sensitivity to the temporal fine structure, although its association to SiN recognition was weaker than in some previous studies. The inverse association between self-reported noise sensitivity and SiN processing deserves further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Oberfeld
- Institute of Psychology, Section Experimental Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany
| | - Katharina Staab
- Department of Marketing and Human Resource Management, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Florian Kattner
- Institut für Psychologie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Ellermeier
- Institut für Psychologie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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17
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Hansen TA, O’Leary RM, Svirsky MA, Wingfield A. Self-pacing ameliorates recall deficit when listening to vocoded discourse: a cochlear implant simulation. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1225752. [PMID: 38054180 PMCID: PMC10694252 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1225752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction In spite of its apparent ease, comprehension of spoken discourse represents a complex linguistic and cognitive operation. The difficulty of such an operation can increase when the speech is degraded, as is the case with cochlear implant users. However, the additional challenges imposed by degraded speech may be mitigated to some extent by the linguistic context and pace of presentation. Methods An experiment is reported in which young adults with age-normal hearing recalled discourse passages heard with clear speech or with noise-band vocoding used to simulate the sound of speech produced by a cochlear implant. Passages were varied in inter-word predictability and presented either without interruption or in a self-pacing format that allowed the listener to control the rate at which the information was delivered. Results Results showed that discourse heard with clear speech was better recalled than discourse heard with vocoded speech, discourse with a higher average inter-word predictability was better recalled than discourse with a lower average inter-word predictability, and self-paced passages were recalled better than those heard without interruption. Of special interest was the semantic hierarchy effect: the tendency for listeners to show better recall for main ideas than mid-level information or detail from a passage as an index of listeners' ability to understand the meaning of a passage. The data revealed a significant effect of inter-word predictability, in that passages with lower predictability had an attenuated semantic hierarchy effect relative to higher-predictability passages. Discussion Results are discussed in terms of broadening cochlear implant outcome measures beyond current clinical measures that focus on single-word and sentence repetition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A. Hansen
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - Ryan M. O’Leary
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - Mario A. Svirsky
- Department of Otolaryngology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Arthur Wingfield
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
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18
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Driver CC, Tomasik MJ. Formalizing developmental phenomena as continuous-time systems: Relations between mathematics and language development. Child Dev 2023; 94:1454-1471. [PMID: 37661359 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate how developmental theories may be instantiated as statistical models, using hierarchical continuous-time dynamic systems. This approach offers a flexible specification and an often more direct link between theory and model parameters than common modeling frameworks. We address developmental theories of the relation between the academic competencies of mathematics and language, using data from the online learning system Mindsteps. We use ability estimates from 160,164 observation occasions, across N = 4623 3rd to 9th grade students and five ability domains. Model development is step-by-step from simple to complex, with ramifications for theory and modeling discussed at each step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles C Driver
- Institute of Education, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin J Tomasik
- Institute of Education, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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19
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Smith-Spark JH, Lewis EG. Lived Experiences of Everyday Memory in Adults with Dyslexia: A Thematic Analysis. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:840. [PMID: 37887490 PMCID: PMC10604285 DOI: 10.3390/bs13100840] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Dyslexia-related difficulties with memory are well documented under laboratory conditions and via self-report questionnaires. However, the voice of the individual with dyslexia regarding the lived experience of memory across different memory systems and different daily settings is currently lacking. To address this gap in the literature, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 adult female university students with dyslexia. Questions probed different memory systems and experiences across different settings, with interviewees also being asked about their use of technology to support their memory. Two overarching themes were identified in the subsequent thematic analysis. The theme of fallibility of memory had two sub-themes of (i) a lack of trust and confidence in memory and (ii) factors contributing to memory failure. The second theme, facilitators of memory, also consisted of two sub-themes, relating to (i) a preference for traditional tools to support memory and (ii) the use of digital tools to support memory: benefits and limitations. The current study gives insights into the rich and complex extended and distributed cognitive systems of adults with dyslexia. The implications of the findings for dyslexia theory, support in educational and work settings as well as assistive technology development are considered.
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20
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Wang R, Han J, Di Biase B, Antoniou M. The effect of study-abroad experience on lexical translation among interpreting students. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1266921. [PMID: 37809285 PMCID: PMC10559970 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1266921] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of study-abroad experience (SAE) on lexical translation among 50 Chinese (L1)-English (L2) interpreting students. Participants were divided into two groups based on their experience abroad. Both groups consisted of 25 unbalanced L2 learners who were matched in age, working memory, length of interpreting training, and L2 proficiency. Bidirectional word translation recognition tasks, from L1 to L2 and L2 to L1, highlighted several key findings: (1) both groups were significantly more accurate and faster from L2 to L1 than in the reverse direction; (2) the study abroad (SA) group was more inclined to respond quickly at the risk of making errors, whereas the non-study abroad (NSA) group tended to be more cautious, prioritising accuracy over speed; (3) the SA group were more balanced and consistent in their performance across lexical translations in both directions than the NSA group. These results emphasise the potent effect of SAE in resolving bilinguals' language competition, especially in streamlining language switching, a cognitive process critical for interpreting students engaging daily with dual languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyuan Wang
- School of International Studies, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jing Han
- School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Bruno Di Biase
- School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark Antoniou
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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21
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Kim YSG. Oral discourse skills: Dimensionality of comprehension and retell of narrative and expository texts, and the relations of language and cognitive skills to identified dimensions. Child Dev 2023; 94:e246-e263. [PMID: 37185974 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
We examined the dimensionality of oral discourse skills (comprehension and retell of texts) and the relations of language and cognitive skills to the identified dimensions. Data were from 529 English-speaking second graders (Mage = 7.42; 46% female; 52.6% Whites, 33.8% African Americans, 4.9% Hispanics, 4.7% two or more races, .8% Asian Americans, .6% American Indians, .2% Native Hawaiians, 2.5% unknown; data from 2014-2015 to 2016-2017). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that oral discourse skills are best described as four related but dissociable dimensions of narrative comprehension, narrative retell, expository comprehension, and expository retell (rs = .59-.84). Language and cognitive skills had different patterns of relations to the identified dimensions and explained larger amounts of variance in comprehension than in retell.
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22
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Savarimuthu A, Ponniah RJ. A Slip Between the Brain and the Lip: Working Memory and Cognitive-Communication Disorders. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2023; 52:1237-1248. [PMID: 37022624 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-023-09946-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between working memory and speech has been a topic of intense research interest and investigation for many years. Memory studies have found that the active processing of working memory is required for language comprehension and speech production. Though there are studies that discuss the capacity of working memory, the processing of verbal stimuli into verbal memory remains unclear. Therefore, it is essential to understand the functioning of the working memory and how it processes verbal information. As working memory is intricately linked with communication, any deficits in working memory could cause communication disorders. Also, the disruption in the storage and retrieval of verbal memory could cause a disturbance in the speech pattern. To this point, this review elaborates on the active processing of working memory and its role in communication. Further, by studying the deficits in working memory that could cause cognitive-communication disorders such as apraxia of speech, dementia, and dysarthria, this article highlights the importance of verbal memory in speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anisha Savarimuthu
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, 620015, India
| | - R Joseph Ponniah
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, 620015, India.
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23
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Watson SK, Mine JG, O’Neill LG, Mueller JL, Russell AF, Townsend SW. Cognitive constraints on vocal combinatoriality in a social bird. iScience 2023; 26:106977. [PMID: 37332672 PMCID: PMC10275715 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106977] [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: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
A critical component of language is the ability to recombine sounds into larger structures. Although animals also reuse sound elements across call combinations to generate meaning, examples are generally limited to pairs of distinct elements, even when repertoires contain sufficient sounds to generate hundreds of combinations. This combinatoriality might be constrained by the perceptual-cognitive demands of disambiguating between complex sound sequences that share elements. We test this hypothesis by probing the capacity of chestnut-crowned babblers to process combinations of two versus three distinct acoustic elements. We found babblers responded quicker and for longer toward playbacks of recombined versus familiar bi-element sequences, but no evidence of differential responses toward playbacks of recombined versus familiar tri-element sequences, suggesting a cognitively prohibitive jump in processing demands. We propose that overcoming constraints in the ability to process increasingly complex combinatorial signals was necessary for the productive combinatoriality that is characteristic of language to emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart K. Watson
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Joseph G. Mine
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, Zurich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Louis G. O’Neill
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109 Australia
- Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | | | - Andrew F. Russell
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
- Institute of Linguistics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Simon W. Townsend
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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Hildenbrand L, Wiley J. Mental counters as an online tool for assessing working memory capacity. Behav Res Methods 2023:10.3758/s13428-023-02180-8. [PMID: 37429987 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02180-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Working memory capacity (WMC) describes an individual's ability to focus their attention in the face of interference which allows them to actively maintain and manipulate information in immediate memory. Individual differences in WMC predict a wide range of psychological constructs. The development of online measures can enable data collection from broader, more diverse samples than those typically collected in person in laboratory settings. In addition, logistical challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have mandated the need for reliable and valid remote assessments of individual differences that are both culture-fair and less susceptible to cheating. This study reports details of a new online version of a Mental Counters task that takes only 10 min to collect and provides evidence for its reliability and convergent validity with other measures including Picture Span and Paper Folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Hildenbrand
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA.
| | - Jennifer Wiley
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
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25
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Kim YSG. Executive Functions and Morphological Awareness Explain the Shared Variance Between Word Reading and Listening Comprehension. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES OF READING : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF READING 2023; 27:451-474. [PMID: 37600965 PMCID: PMC10438421 DOI: 10.1080/10888438.2023.2195112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Purpose A large body of literature showed that word reading and listening comprehension-two proximal predictors of reading comprehension according to the simple view of reading-are related. Grounded on the direct and indirect effects model of reading (Kim, 2020a, 2020b, 2023), we examined the extent to which the relation is explained by domain-general cognitions or executive functions (working memory and attentional control) and emergent literacy skills (language and code-related skills including morphological awareness, phonological awareness, orthographic pattern recognition, letter naming fluency, and rapid automatized naming). Method Data were from English-speaking children in Grade 1 (N = 372; 52% boys; 60% White children, 26% African American children, 6% multiracial children, 6% Hispanic children, and 2% Asian American children). Results Results from structural equation models showed that word reading and listening comprehension were moderately related (.54). When working memory and attentional control were included as predictors, the relation became weaker (.39). When morphological awareness was additionally included, they were no longer related (.05). The other emergent literacy skills did not add explanatory power beyond executive functions and morphological awareness. Conclusion These results indicate that executive functions and morphological awareness largely explain the shared variance between word reading and listening comprehension for English-speaking beginning readers.
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26
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Macchitella L, Tosi G, Romano DL, Iaia M, Vizzi F, Mammarella IC, Angelelli P. Visuo-Spatial Working Memory and Mathematical Skills in Children: A Network Analysis Study. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:bs13040294. [PMID: 37102808 PMCID: PMC10136205 DOI: 10.3390/bs13040294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Visuo-spatial working memory is one of the main domain-general cognitive mechanisms underlying mathematical abilities and their development in children. However, if visuo-spatial working memory involves different processes and components, then the term 'mathematics' refers to a broad concept that includes multiple domains and skills. The aim of this present study was to investigate the relationship between different visuo-spatial working memory components and several mathematical abilities in a sample of third- to fifth-grade Italian children. To assess the relationships between different visuo-spatial working memory components and different mathematical abilities, we relied on Network Analysis (NA). Results indicate that some but not all visuo-spatial working memory components are associated with some mathematical abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Macchitella
- Scientific Institute I.R.C.C.S. "E. Medea", Unit for Severe Disabilities in Developmental Age and Young Adults (Developmental Neurology and Neurorehabilitation), 72100 Brindisi, Italy
| | - Giorgia Tosi
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Luigi Romano
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
- Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of Human and Social Studies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Marika Iaia
- Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of Human and Social Studies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Francesca Vizzi
- Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of Human and Social Studies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Irene C Mammarella
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, 35100 Padova, Italy
| | - Paola Angelelli
- Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of Human and Social Studies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
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27
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Generalization of Skill for a Working Memory Recognition Procedure in Children: The Benefit of Starting with Easy Materials. J Intell 2023; 11:jintelligence11030056. [PMID: 36976149 PMCID: PMC10057205 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence11030056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
When children practice a new task, they need to learn both the task procedure and the materials tested. It is often unclear if improvements with practice reflect learning of the task procedure or familiarity with the materials. We sought to examine learning of the task procedure by switching from one set of materials to another in a working memory recognition task. We recruited 70 children (34 female, M = 11.27 years, SD = 0.62, ranging from 10.08 to 12.39) in the United States who were to remember sequences of orientations and of shapes for recognition immediately following the list. Half of the children began with orientation, an easier task, and the other half began with difficult-to-name shapes, a harder task. When children began with the easier task, the acquisition of the recognition task skill in the easy condition transferred to the more difficult task, optimizing the mean performance across tasks. Transfer was less potent when children began with the more difficult task. The results showed that sufficient practice is crucial to avoid poor initial performance, which might be important for the student’s rate of progress and task engagement.
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Executive Functions and Language Skills in Preschool Children: The Unique Contribution of Verbal Working Memory and Cognitive Flexibility. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13030470. [PMID: 36979280 PMCID: PMC10046801 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13030470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of language skills requires a range of linguistic abilities and cognitive processes, such as executive functions (EFs, i.e., a set of skills involved in goal-directed activities which are crucial for regulating thoughts and actions). Despite progress in understanding the link between language and EFs, the need for more research on the extent and directionality of this link is undeniable. This study examined whether specific components of EFs account for a significant amount of variance in language abilities above and beyond gender, age, and nonverbal intelligence. The sample comprised 79 typically developing children attending the last year of preschool (Mage = 64.5 months, SD = 3.47). EFs were assessed through tasks that explored three predictor variables: inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. The language outcomes included receptive and expressive language. After controlling for age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence, findings showed that working memory and cognitive flexibility, respectively, explained an additional 16% and 19% of the variance. Inhibition skills did not increase the amount of explained variance in language outcomes. These results highlight the potential added importance of assessing working memory and cognitive flexibility in the prediction of language skills in preschool children.
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Jo E, Choi S, Sung JE. Effects of task types and time interval conditions on age-related decline in verbal working memory. Scand J Psychol 2023. [PMID: 36811168 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12908] [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: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Age-related differences in working memory (WM) components were investigated by manipulating the time interval and interference effects between phonological and semantic judgment tasks to identify tasks to best discriminate between younger and older groups. The 96 participants (young = 48; old = 48) prospectively performed two task types of WM, with phonological and semantic judgment tasks, which were administered while varying the three interval conditions: 1-s unfilled (UF), 5-s UF, and 5-s filled (F). The main effect for age was significant in the semantic judgment task but not in the phonological judgment task. The main effect for the interval conditions were significant in both tasks. A 5-s UF condition applied to a semantic judgment task could significantly differentiate the older group from the younger group. Differential effects of time interval manipulation in semantic and phonological processing are involved in WM resources. The older group could be differentiated by varying the task types and interval conditions, indicating that the semantic-related WM burdens may contribute to a superior differential diagnosis of aging-related WM decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunha Jo
- Department of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sujin Choi
- Department of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jee Eun Sung
- Department of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
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Son M, Jung J, Hwang D, Beck D, Park W. The effect of backpack weight on the performance of basic short-term/working memory tasks while walking along a pre-determined route. ERGONOMICS 2023; 66:227-245. [PMID: 35532033 DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2022.2075941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated possible backpack weight effects on the performance of three basic short-term/working memory (STM/WM) tasks conducted concurrently with the physical task of route walking. The STM/WM tasks were the Corsi block-tapping, digit span, and 3-back tasks, and, were employed to examine the visuo-spatial sketchpad, phonological loop and central executive components of the WM system. Four backpack weight levels (0%, 15%, 25% and 40% of body mass) were considered. Thirty participants conducted the three experimental tasks requiring physical-cognitive multitasking. Data analyses revealed that: (1) increased backpack weight resulted in decreases in the performance of the Corsi block-tapping and the 3-back task, but (2) backpack weight did not significantly affect the digit span task performance. The study results suggest that reducing backpack weight could benefit the performance of various cognitive tasks during route walking. The study findings may be useful for the ergonomics design of body-worn equipment and human-system interfaces.Practitioner summary: This study examined the backpack weight effects on the performance of three basic short-term/working memory tasks conducted concurrently with the physical task of route walking. The study revealed that reducing backpack weight could benefit various cognitive tasks during physical-cognitive multitasking, especially cognitive tasks that require visuospatial processing and executive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minseok Son
- Digital Appliances Business, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jaemoon Jung
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Dongwook Hwang
- School of Media and Communication, Kwangwoon University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Donghyun Beck
- Department of Safety Engineering, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Woojin Park
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Industrial Engineering and Institute for Industrial Systems Innovation, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
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Is variability in working memory capacity related to differences in the reactivation of memory traces? A test based on the time-based resource sharing (TBRS) model. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023:10.3758/s13414-023-02659-8. [PMID: 36720783 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02659-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Working memory performance depends on reactivating memory traces, by rapidly switching between refreshing item representations and performing concurrent cognitive processing (time-based resource sharing (TBRS) account). Prior research has suggested that variation in the effectiveness of this process could be a plausible source of developmental changes in working memory capacity. This could conceivably extend to adults, potentially bridging the barrier between developmental and adult experimental research and providing a possible functional role for attention control and processing speed in working memory tasks. The present work was designed to replicate the finding of developmental differences in reactivation in children, and to test whether the same process could be related to individual differences in adults. Experiment 1 confirmed the finding of more effective reactivation for 14-year-old children than for 8-year-old children. Experiment 2 using the same task in adults manipulated the feasibility of reactivation within an experimental-correlational approach, and failed to find more effective reactivation for individuals with high working memory capacity, contrary to our predictions. Overall, our results support the role of reactivation as defined by the TBRS model as an important process in working memory tasks, and as a possible source of developmental increase in working memory capacity; however, they rule out the possibility that adult individual differences in the effectiveness of this process are a major cause of variability in working memory capacity, suggesting that differences between adults are of a different nature.
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Davidson MM, Fleming KK. Story Comprehension Monitoring Across Visual, Listening, and Written Modalities in Children with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:1-24. [PMID: 34994926 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05418-6] [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] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Visual, as compared to verbal, tasks are often assumed to be easier for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but is this true for story comprehension? This study evaluated story comprehension monitoring across visual, listening, and written modalities and assessed predictors in two closely matched groups (age, socioeconomic status, language, nonverbal cognition, and word reading) of children and adolescents (8-14 years) with ASD (n = 20) and typical development (typically developing [TD]; n = 20). The results of mixed-effects models indicated that story comprehension monitoring was low overall, and performance was comparable across visual, listening, and written modalities for participants with ASD. Age, vocabulary, nonverbal working memory, response and distractor inhibition, and social communication significantly predicted comprehension monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan M Davidson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders, University of Kansas, KS, Lawrence, USA.
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders, University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Ave., Rm 3001, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA.
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Bianco R, Chait M. No Link Between Speech-in-Noise Perception and Auditory Sensory Memory - Evidence From a Large Cohort of Older and Younger Listeners. Trends Hear 2023; 27:23312165231190688. [PMID: 37828868 PMCID: PMC10576936 DOI: 10.1177/23312165231190688] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing literature is demonstrating a link between working memory (WM) and speech-in-noise (SiN) perception. However, the nature of this correlation and which components of WM might underlie it, are being debated. We investigated how SiN reception links with auditory sensory memory (aSM) - the low-level processes that support the short-term maintenance of temporally unfolding sounds. A large sample of old (N = 199, 60-79 yo) and young (N = 149, 20-35 yo) participants was recruited online and performed a coordinate response measure-based speech-in-babble task that taps listeners' ability to track a speech target in background noise. We used two tasks to investigate implicit and explicit aSM. Both were based on tone patterns overlapping in processing time scales with speech (presentation rate of tones 20 Hz; of patterns 2 Hz). We hypothesised that a link between SiN and aSM may be particularly apparent in older listeners due to age-related reduction in both SiN reception and aSM. We confirmed impaired SiN reception in the older cohort and demonstrated reduced aSM performance in those listeners. However, SiN and aSM did not share variability. Across the two age groups, SiN performance was predicted by a binaural processing test and age. The results suggest that previously observed links between WM and SiN may relate to the executive components and other cognitive demands of the used tasks. This finding helps to constrain the search for the perceptual and cognitive factors that explain individual variability in SiN performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Bianco
- Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Neuroscience of Perception and Action Lab, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Chait
- Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
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Zhang Y, Boemo T, Qiao Z, Tan Y, Li X. Distinct Effects of Anxiety and Depression on Updating Emotional Information in Working Memory. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 20:544. [PMID: 36612866 PMCID: PMC9819093 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety and depression have been shown to negatively influence the processing of emotional information in working memory. However, most studies have examined anxiety-related or depression-related working memory deficits independently, without considering their high co-morbidity. We tested the effects of emotional valence on working memory performance among healthy young adults with varying levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Ninety young adults aged between 18-24 (51 female) completed an emotional 2-back task in which positive, negative, and neutral images were presented. Multi-level modeling was used to examine anxiety and depressive symptoms as predictors of response accuracy and latency across the three emotional valence conditions. The results showed that participants responded to negative images with the highest accuracy and to positive images with the lowest accuracy. Both negative and positive images elicited slower responses than neutral images. Importantly, we found that more severe anxiety symptoms predicted a smaller difference in response accuracy between negative and neutral stimuli, whereas more severe depressive symptoms predicted a larger updating reaction time difference between positive and neutral stimuli. These findings demonstrated the uniquely anxiety-related deficits in processing negative contents and the uniquely depression-related deficits in updating positive contents in working memory, thus highlighting the necessity of novel cognitive bias modification interventions targeting the anxiety-specific and depression-specific deficits in working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
- Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Teresa Boemo
- Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Zhiling Qiao
- Department of Neuroscience, Research Group Psychiatry, Center for Clinical Psychiatry, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yafei Tan
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
- Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Xu Li
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070, China
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
- Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430079, China
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Burleson AM, Souza PE. Cognitive and linguistic abilities and perceptual restoration of missing speech: Evidence from online assessment. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1059192. [PMID: 36571056 PMCID: PMC9773209 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1059192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When speech is clear, speech understanding is a relatively simple and automatic process. However, when the acoustic signal is degraded, top-down cognitive and linguistic abilities, such as working memory capacity, lexical knowledge (i.e., vocabulary), inhibitory control, and processing speed can often support speech understanding. This study examined whether listeners aged 22-63 (mean age 42 years) with better cognitive and linguistic abilities would be better able to perceptually restore missing speech information than those with poorer scores. Additionally, the role of context and everyday speech was investigated using high-context, low-context, and realistic speech corpi to explore these effects. Sixty-three adult participants with self-reported normal hearing completed a short cognitive and linguistic battery before listening to sentences interrupted by silent gaps or noise bursts. Results indicated that working memory was the most reliable predictor of perceptual restoration ability, followed by lexical knowledge, and inhibitory control and processing speed. Generally, silent gap conditions were related to and predicted by a broader range of cognitive abilities, whereas noise burst conditions were related to working memory capacity and inhibitory control. These findings suggest that higher-order cognitive and linguistic abilities facilitate the top-down restoration of missing speech information and contribute to individual variability in perceptual restoration.
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Looney L, Wong EH, Rosales KP, Rosales F, Tirado G. Teacher perceptions of working memory and executive function improvements following school-day cognitive training. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/01430343221122454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Considerable research has documented the impact of teacher perceptions on students’ academic-related outcomes (e.g., classroom performance). This body of literature clearly shows that teacher perceptions (resulting from direct interactions with students) can have both positive and negative effects with respect to student behaviors and experiences in the classroom. What remains unclear is whether teachers perceive changes that result from interventions administered outside of their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in teacher perceptions of working memory and executive function concerns (two important predictors of academic success) among students who participated in a computerized cognitive training program designed to enhance working memory skills. The current results indicate that teachers perceived fewer concerns following students’ participation in the training; this outcome was supplemented with significant improvements in the students’ working memory capabilities following the training program. These findings have important implications given the literature highlighting the relation between teacher perceptions and student outcomes as a function of a school-based computerized cognitive training intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Looney
- California State University, San Bernardino, USA
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Poon K, Ho MS, Chou KL. Executive functions as mediators between socioeconomic status and academic performance in Chinese school-aged children ☆. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11121. [PMID: 36339996 PMCID: PMC9626878 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It is well-documented that socioeconomic status (SES) and academic performance in school-aged children are closely related. However, little is known about how the three core executive functions (EFs), inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, mediate the association between the two. Moreover, most previous studies examined SES disparities in Western countries, how such disparities in EF and academic performance manifest in the Chinese context, where a distinctive EF profile and learning experience are observed, remains uncertain. The current study explored: (1) the mediating effects of the three core EFs in the association between SES and academic performance; and (2) the differences in EF and academic performance in three core subjects between Chinese children who are below and above the poverty line. Methods Of the 385 students sampled, 205 are in the low-SES group and 180 are in the middle-high SES group. Results A structural equation model showed that the SES-academic performance relationship was fully mediated by cognitive flexibility and working memory but not inhibition. Working memory was a much stronger mediator than cognitive flexibility, suggesting that working memory may correlate with childhood SES and academic performance in Chinese children. An analysis of covariance suggested that compared to the middle-high SES group, the low-SES group demonstrated poorer working memory and academic performance in all three subjects after controlling for age and IQ. Interestingly, children with low-SES were found to have better cognitive flexibility than children with middle-high SES. Conclusions These findings suggest that interventions targeting working memory may be an important area to improve children's academic performance. This study examined (1) the mediating effects of executive function in the association between socioeconomic status and academic performance; and (2) the differences in executive function and academic performance in three core subjects between Chinese children who are below and above the poverty line. Both socioeconomic status groups exhibited differences in cognitive flexibility, working memory, and academic performance in all three core subjects. The socioeconomic status-achievement relationship was mediated by cognitive flexibility and working memory but not inhibition. Working memory was a stronger mediator than cognitive flexibility in explaining academic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kean Poon
- School of Education, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia,Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,Corresponding author.
| | - Mimi S.H. Ho
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Kee-Lee Chou
- Department of Asian and Policy Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Harwood V, Kleinman D, Puggioni G, Baron A. The P300 event related potential predicts phonological working memory skills in school-aged children. Front Psychol 2022; 13:918046. [PMID: 36312112 PMCID: PMC9599408 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.918046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The P300 event related potential (ERP) has been cited as a marker of phonological working memory (PWM); however, little is known regarding its relationship to behavioral PWM skills in early school-aged children. The current study investigates the P300 ERP recorded in response to native and non-native (English and Spanish) phoneme contrasts as a predictor of PWM skills in monolingual English-speaking first and second grade children. Thirty-three typically developing children, ages 6–9, completed a battery of phonological processing, language, and cognitive assessments. ERPs were recorded within an auditory oddball paradigm in response to both English phoneme contrasts (/ta/, /pa/) and Spanish contrasts (/t̪a/, /d̪a/). The P300 ERP recorded in response to English phoneme contrasts significantly predicted standard scores on the Nonword Repetition subtest of the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, Second Edition. Spanish contrasts did not elicit a P300 response, nor were amplitude or latency values within the P300 timeframe (250–500 ms) recorded in response to Spanish contrasts related to English nonword repetition performance. This study provides further evidence that the P300 ERP in response to native phonemic contrasts indexes PWM skills, specifically nonword repetition performance, in monolingual children. Further work is necessary to determine the extent to which the P300 response to changing phonological stimuli reflects PWM skills in other populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Harwood
- Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
- *Correspondence: Vanessa Harwood,
| | | | - Gavino Puggioni
- Department of Statistics, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
| | - Alisa Baron
- Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
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Meng Y, Chen F, Feng Y, Peng G, Zheng W. Age-Related Differences of Mandarin Tone and Consonant Aspiration Perception in Babble Noise. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:3438-3451. [PMID: 36044891 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study investigated the categorical perception of Mandarin tones and consonant aspiration contrasts in babble noise among adults and adolescents aged 12-14 years, and explored the association between working memory and categorical perception. METHOD Twenty-four adults and 20 adolescents with Mandarin as their native language were recruited. Their performances of phonemic identification and discrimination in babble noise and quiet conditions, digit span tasks, and nonword repetition were assessed. RESULTS Results indicated that, firstly, in the noise condition, both adults and adolescents showed wider boundary widths and lower between-category accuracies when perceiving aspiration of consonants than in the quiet condition, and the categorical boundary of tone perception in adolescents showed a transitional tendency toward Tone 1. Secondly, discrimination of consonant aspiration in adolescents needed to be further developed. Lastly, the accuracy of nonword repetition in adolescents was lower than that in adults, and adults with better auditory verbal working memory had better performance on tone perception. CONCLUSIONS Our results provided evidence that tone perception is acquired easier than consonant aspiration perception, and tone perception is more robust and less susceptible to noise interference. Categorical perception performance relates to the capacity and utilization of auditory verbal working memory in some ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaru Meng
- Department of Chinese Language and Literature, East China Normal University, Shanghai
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Fei Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Yan Feng
- School of Foreign Studies, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China
| | - Wei Zheng
- Department of Chinese Language and Literature, East China Normal University, Shanghai
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Artuso C, Palladino P. Working Memory, Vocabulary Breadth and Depth in Reading Comprehension: A Study with Third Graders. DISCOURSE PROCESSES 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/0163853x.2022.2116263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Rönnberg J, Signoret C, Andin J, Holmer E. The cognitive hearing science perspective on perceiving, understanding, and remembering language: The ELU model. Front Psychol 2022; 13:967260. [PMID: 36118435 PMCID: PMC9477118 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.967260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The review gives an introductory description of the successive development of data patterns based on comparisons between hearing-impaired and normal hearing participants’ speech understanding skills, later prompting the formulation of the Ease of Language Understanding (ELU) model. The model builds on the interaction between an input buffer (RAMBPHO, Rapid Automatic Multimodal Binding of PHOnology) and three memory systems: working memory (WM), semantic long-term memory (SLTM), and episodic long-term memory (ELTM). RAMBPHO input may either match or mismatch multimodal SLTM representations. Given a match, lexical access is accomplished rapidly and implicitly within approximately 100–400 ms. Given a mismatch, the prediction is that WM is engaged explicitly to repair the meaning of the input – in interaction with SLTM and ELTM – taking seconds rather than milliseconds. The multimodal and multilevel nature of representations held in WM and LTM are at the center of the review, being integral parts of the prediction and postdiction components of language understanding. Finally, some hypotheses based on a selective use-disuse of memory systems mechanism are described in relation to mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Alternative speech perception and WM models are evaluated, and recent developments and generalisations, ELU model tests, and boundaries are discussed.
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Draheim C, Pak R, Draheim AA, Engle RW. The role of attention control in complex real-world tasks. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:1143-1197. [PMID: 35167106 PMCID: PMC8853083 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-02052-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Working memory capacity is an important psychological construct, and many real-world phenomena are strongly associated with individual differences in working memory functioning. Although working memory and attention are intertwined, several studies have recently shown that individual differences in the general ability to control attention is more strongly predictive of human behavior than working memory capacity. In this review, we argue that researchers would therefore generally be better suited to studying the role of attention control rather than memory-based abilities in explaining real-world behavior and performance in humans. The review begins with a discussion of relevant literature on the nature and measurement of both working memory capacity and attention control, including recent developments in the study of individual differences of attention control. We then selectively review existing literature on the role of both working memory and attention in various applied settings and explain, in each case, why a switch in emphasis to attention control is warranted. Topics covered include psychological testing, cognitive training, education, sports, police decision-making, human factors, and disorders within clinical psychology. The review concludes with general recommendations and best practices for researchers interested in conducting studies of individual differences in attention control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Draheim
- Department of Psychology, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, USA.
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Richard Pak
- Department of Psychology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Amanda A Draheim
- Department of Psychology, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, USA
| | - Randall W Engle
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Stine-Morrow EAL, McCall GS, Manavbasi I, Ng S, Llano DA, Barbey AK. The Effects of Sustained Literacy Engagement on Cognition and Sentence Processing Among Older Adults. Front Psychol 2022; 13:923795. [PMID: 35898978 PMCID: PMC9309613 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.923795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable evidence suggests that language processing depends on memory processes, which are vulnerable to declines with aging. Yet little is known about the effects of language processing in the form of sustained literacy engagement on memory and other aspects of cognition. In the current study, adults (60-79 years of age) were randomly assigned to an 8-week program of leisure reading (n = 38) or to an active puzzle control (n = 38). Relative to the control, the experimental group showed differential improvement in verbal working memory and episodic memory. The experimental group also showed evidence of enhanced conceptual integration in sentence processing. These effects did not vary as a function of personality characteristics (e.g., openness) hypothesized to be compatible with literacy engagement. These findings support the idea that the exercise of cognitive capacities in the context of everyday life may offset age-related impairment in areas of cognition engaged by the activity, regardless of dispositional fit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. L. Stine-Morrow
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Giavanna S. McCall
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Ilber Manavbasi
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Shukhan Ng
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Daniel A. Llano
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Aron K. Barbey
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, United States
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Broomell AP, Bell MA. Longitudinal development of executive function from infancy to late childhood. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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46
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Wen Z(E, Teng MF, Han L, Zeng Y. Working Memory Models and Measures in Language and Bilingualism Research: Integrating Cognitive and Affective Perspectives. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060729. [PMID: 35741614 PMCID: PMC9221522 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Although emotional or affective working memory (WM) is quite well established in general psychology, not much research has looked into its potential implications for the language sciences and bilingualism and second language acquisition (SLA) research until recently. To fill this gap, this paper aims to propose that WM has not just cognitive implications, but its affective dimension may also make complementary and unique contributions to language and bilingualism/SLA research. Towards this end, we first briefly synthesize the cognitive views of WM conceptions and assessment procedures in the current language sciences and bilingualism/SLA research. Next, we turn to discuss the theoretical models and assumptions of affective WM and explore their theoretical implications for bilingualism/SLA research based on emerging empirical evidence. Then, we propose a conceptual framework integrating cognitive and affective WM perspectives and further provide guidelines for designing affective WM span tasks that can be used in future affective WM–language research, focusing on the construction procedures of several emotion-based affective WM span tasks (e.g., the emotional reading span task, the emotional operation span task, and the emotional symmetry span task) as examples. Overall, we argue that affective feelings are also an integral part of the mental representations held in WM and future research in the language sciences and bilingualism/SLA should incorporate both cognitive and affective WM dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhisheng (Edward) Wen
- Faculty of Languages and Translation, Macao Polytechnic University, Macau SAR 999078, China;
- Correspondence:
| | - Mark Feng Teng
- Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China;
| | - Lili Han
- Faculty of Languages and Translation, Macao Polytechnic University, Macau SAR 999078, China;
| | - Yong Zeng
- Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H9R 5X7, Canada;
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Mathew AS, Lotfi S, Bennett KP, Larsen SE, Dean C, Larson CL, Lee HJ. Association between spatial working memory and Re-experiencing symptoms in PTSD. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2022; 75:101714. [PMID: 34906826 PMCID: PMC9173718 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2021.101714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Few studies have evaluated the link between working memory (WM) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Further, it is unknown whether this relationship is accounted for by other relevant variables including negative affect, emotional dysregulation, or general non-WM-related cognitive control deficits, which are associated with PTSD. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a computerized WM task could predict PTSD symptomology incrementally beyond the contribution of other relevant variables associated with PTSD. METHODS Thirty veterans were eligible to complete emotional symptom questionnaires, a heart-rate variability measure, and computerized tasks (i.e., emotional Stroop and automated complex span tasks). A three-stage hierarchical regression was conducted with the PCL-5 total score and symptom clusters (i.e., re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal, and negative cognition/mood) as the dependent variable. RESULTS Results revealed that only the re-experiencing symptom cluster was significantly predicted by executive, verbal, and visuospatial WM tasks, which explained an additional 29.7% of the variance over and above other relevant variables. Most notably, the visuospatial task was the only WM task that significantly explained PCL-5 re-experiencing symptoms. LIMITATIONS This study was based on a small sample of veterans with PTSD and causality cannot be determined with this cross-sectional study. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results suggest that deficits in visuospatial WM are significantly associated with PTSD re-experiencing symptoms after controlling for other relevant variables. Further research should evaluate whether an intervention to improve visuospatial WM capacity can be implemented to reduce re-experiencing symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel S Mathew
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
| | - Salahadin Lotfi
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA; Rogers Behavioral Health, Research Center and Clinical Effectiveness Department, USA
| | | | - Sadie E Larsen
- Milwaukee VA Medical Center, USA; Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
| | - Caron Dean
- Milwaukee VA Medical Center, USA; Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Han-Joo Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA.
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48
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Henry LA, Christopher E, Chiat S, Messer DJ. A Short and Engaging Adaptive Working-Memory Intervention for Children with Developmental Language Disorder: Effects on Language and Working Memory. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12050642. [PMID: 35625028 PMCID: PMC9139881 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has suggested that working-memory training interventions may benefit children with developmental language disorder (DLD). The current study investigated a short and engaging adaptive working-memory intervention that targeted executive skills and aimed to improve both language comprehension and working-memory abilities in children with DLD. Forty-seven 6- to 10-year-old children with DLD were randomly allocated to an executive working-memory training intervention (n = 24) or an active control group (n = 23). A pre-test/intervention/post-test/9-month-follow-up design was used. Outcome measures included assessments of language (to evaluate far transfer of the training) and working memory (to evaluate near transfer of the training). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses controlling for pre-intervention performance and age found the group to be a significant predictor of sentence comprehension and of performance on six untrained working-memory measures at post-intervention and 9-month follow-up. Children in the intervention group showed significantly higher language comprehension and working-memory scores at both time points than children in the active control group. The intervention programme showed the potential to improve working memory and language comprehension in children with DLD and demonstrated several advantages: it involved short sessions over a short period, caused little disruption in the school day, and was enjoyed by children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy A. Henry
- Division of Language and Communication Science, City, University of London, London EC1V 0HB, UK; (E.C.); (S.C.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Emma Christopher
- Division of Language and Communication Science, City, University of London, London EC1V 0HB, UK; (E.C.); (S.C.)
| | - Shula Chiat
- Division of Language and Communication Science, City, University of London, London EC1V 0HB, UK; (E.C.); (S.C.)
| | - David J. Messer
- Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies, Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK;
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Christofalos AL, Pambuccian FS, Raney GE. Too depleted to comprehend: resource depletion impairs situation model comprehension. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2022.2063296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gary E. Raney
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA
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Nitsan G, Banai K, Ben-David BM. One Size Does Not Fit All: Examining the Effects of Working Memory Capacity on Spoken Word Recognition in Older Adults Using Eye Tracking. Front Psychol 2022; 13:841466. [PMID: 35478743 PMCID: PMC9037998 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.841466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Difficulties understanding speech form one of the most prevalent complaints among older adults. Successful speech perception depends on top-down linguistic and cognitive processes that interact with the bottom-up sensory processing of the incoming acoustic information. The relative roles of these processes in age-related difficulties in speech perception, especially when listening conditions are not ideal, are still unclear. In the current study, we asked whether older adults with a larger working memory capacity process speech more efficiently than peers with lower capacity when speech is presented in noise, with another task performed in tandem. Using the Eye-tracking of Word Identification in Noise Under Memory Increased Load (E-WINDMIL) an adapted version of the "visual world" paradigm, 36 older listeners were asked to follow spoken instructions presented in background noise, while retaining digits for later recall under low (single-digit) or high (four-digits) memory load. In critical trials, instructions (e.g., "point at the candle") directed listeners' gaze to pictures of objects whose names shared onset or offset sounds with the name of a competitor that was displayed on the screen at the same time (e.g., candy or sandal). We compared listeners with different memory capacities on the time course for spoken word recognition under the two memory loads by testing eye-fixations on a named object, relative to fixations on an object whose name shared phonology with the named object. Results indicated two trends. (1) For older adults with lower working memory capacity, increased memory load did not affect online speech processing, however, it impaired offline word recognition accuracy. (2) The reverse pattern was observed for older adults with higher working memory capacity: increased task difficulty significantly decreases online speech processing efficiency but had no effect on offline word recognition accuracy. Results suggest that in older adults, adaptation to adverse listening conditions is at least partially supported by cognitive reserve. Therefore, additional cognitive capacity may lead to greater resilience of older listeners to adverse listening conditions. The differential effects documented by eye movements and accuracy highlight the importance of using both online and offline measures of speech processing to explore age-related changes in speech perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Nitsan
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University (IDC), Herzliya, Israel
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Karen Banai
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Boaz M. Ben-David
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University (IDC), Herzliya, Israel
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Networks, Toronto, ON, Canada
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