scholarly journals A Preliminary Investigation of the Running Digit Span As a Test of Working Memory

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 17-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjan Jahanshahi ◽  
T. Saleem ◽  
Aileen K. Ho ◽  
R. Fuller ◽  
Georg Dirnberger
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Executive Processes ◽  
Immediate Memory ◽  
Span Tasks ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Simple Dissociation

The objective of this study was to compare performance on different versions of the running span task, and to examine the relationship between task performance and tests of episodic memory and executive function. We found that the average capacity of the running span was approximately 4 digits, and at long sequence lengths, performance was no longer affected by varying the running span window. Both episodic and executive function measures correlated with short and long running spans, suggesting that a simple dissociation between immediate memory and executive processes in short and long running digit span tasks may not be warranted.

scholarly journals Spontaneous Eye Blink Rate during the Working Memory Delay Period Predicts Task Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jefferson Ortega ◽  
Chelsea Reichert Plaska ◽  
Bernard A Gomes ◽  
Timothy M Ellmore
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Delay Period ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Indirect Measure ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) has been found to be a non-invasive indirect measure of striatal dopamine activity. Dopamine (DA) neurons project to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) through the mesocortical dopamine pathway and their activity is implicated in a range of cognitive functions, including attention and working memory (WM). The goal of the present study was to understand how fluctuations in sEBR during different phases of a working memory task relate to task performance. Across two experiments, with recordings of sEBR inside and outside of a magnetic resonance imaging bore, we observed sEBR to be positively correlated with WM performance during the WM delay period. Additionally we investigated the non-linear relationship between sEBR and WM performance, and modeled a proposed Inverted-U-shape relationship between DA and WM performance. We also investigated blink duration, which is proposed to be related to sustained attention, and found blink duration to be significantly shorter during the encoding and probe periods of the task. Taken together, these results provide support towards sEBR as an important correlate of working memory task performance. The relationship of sEBR to DA activity and the influence of DA on the PFC during WM maintenance is discussed.

Working memory, executive function, and general fluid intelligence are not the same

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P. Heitz ◽  
Thomas S. Redick ◽  
David Z. Hambrick ◽  
Michael J. Kane ◽  
Andrew R. A. Conway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Good Reason ◽  
Normal Functioning ◽  
Controlled Attention ◽  
The Relationship

Blair equates the constructs of working memory (WM), executive function, and general fluid intelligence (gF). We argue that there is good reason not to equate these constructs. We view WM and gF as separable but highly related, and suggest that the mechanism behind the relationship is controlled attention – an ability that is dependent on normal functioning of the prefrontal cortex.

scholarly journals Prospective memory mediated by interoceptive accuracy: a psychophysiological approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1708) ◽  
pp. 20160005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Umeda ◽  
Saiko Tochizawa ◽  
Midori Shibata ◽  
Yuri Terasawa
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Nervous Activity ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Cardiac Reactivity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Interoceptive Accuracy ◽  
Event Based ◽  
The Relationship

Previous studies on prospective memory (PM), defined as memory for future intentions, suggest that psychological stress enhances successful PM retrieval. However, the mechanisms underlying this notion remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that PM retrieval is achieved through interaction with autonomic nervous activity, which is mediated by the individual accuracy of interoceptive awareness, as measured by the heartbeat detection task. In this study, the relationship between cardiac reactivity and retrieval of delayed intentions was evaluated using the event-based PM task. Participants were required to detect PM target letters while engaged in an ongoing 2-back working memory task. The results demonstrated that individuals with higher PM task performance had a greater increase in heart rate on PM target presentation. Also, higher interoceptive perceivers showed better PM task performance. This pattern was not observed for working memory task performance. These findings suggest that cardiac afferent signals enhance PM retrieval, which is mediated by individual levels of interoceptive accuracy. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Interoception beyond homeostasis: affect, cognition and mental health’.

scholarly journals The Role of Critical Thinking and Executive Function in Misconceptions in Psychology

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-21
Author(s):  
Heru Astikasari Setya Murti ◽  
Thomas Dicky Hastjarjo ◽  
Bhina Patria
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Card Sorting

Misconception in psychology is a belief that is broadly contradicting to scientific evidence and is particularlycommon in the field of psychology. It is important to study misconceptions in psychology considering thecontribution of the effort to provide education or to demonstrate rejection of fallacies of popular ideas/themes.Misconceptions in psychology relates to critical thinking as well as the executive function (EF) that controls andregulates cognitive processes. This research aims to determine the role of critical thinking and EF (cognitiveflexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control) with misconceptions in psychology. This study used non-experimental methods, using test (paper and pencil) and PEBL/ Psychology Experiment Building Language(computerized). The sampling technique used was convenience sampling. The subjects in this study were 153psychology students, consisting of 105 students from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and 48 students fromUniversitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY). Instruments that were used for data collection were the misconception inpsychology test, critical thinking test, Wisconsin/Berg Card Sorting Test (WCST/BCST), Backward Digit Span,and Stroop Test. There is no correlation between cognitive flexibility and misconceptions in psychology, socognitive flexibility is not included in the calculation of hierarchical regression analysis. Based on the results ofhierarchical regression analysis, it can be concluded that the role of inhibitory control on psychologicalmisconceptions is 11.4%, ΔR2 = .114; b* = .33; t(149) = 4.52, p < .001; the role of working memory is 3%, ΔR2 =.030; b* = -.16; t(149) = -2.19, p = .03; and the role of critical thinking is 2.6%, ΔR2 = .026; b* = -.19; t(149) = -2.53, p = .01.

scholarly journals Charting the functional form of working memory in two nationally representative samples

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sammy F. Ahmed ◽  
Alexa Ellis ◽  
Kaitlin P. Ward ◽  
Natasha Chaku ◽  
Pamela Davis-Kean
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Functional Form ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Income Dynamics ◽  
Span Tasks ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
National Trends

We leveraged nationally representative data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics-Child Development Supplement (N = 3,562) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (N = 18,174), to chart the functional form of working memory (WM) from 3 to 19 years of age. Results from this preregistered study (https://osf.io/4pvwk) revealed non-linear growth patterns for both forward and backward digit span tasks, with the most rapid growth occurring during early childhood and early adolescence. We also found that males and females develop WM at similar rates across the U.S. population. Together, this study highlights the relative importance of the early childhood and early adolescent periods for WM development. These benchmarks of normative WM development can also provide researchers with a reference against which to compare the developmental changes of WM in individual studies and allow clinicians and educators to track individual progress and evaluate educational programs using national trends of WM development.

scholarly journals Acute effects of coffee on neurocognitive function: an electroencephalography network analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayom Kim ◽  
Sung Hoon Kang ◽  
Soon Ho Kim ◽  
Seong Hwan Kim ◽  
Jihyeon Hwang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Coffee Consumption ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Trail Making ◽  
Network Properties ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify the mechanisms underlying effects of coffee on cognition in the context of brain networks. Here we investigated functional connectivity before and after drinking coffee using graph theoretical analysis of electroencephalography (EEG). Twenty-one healthy adults voluntarily participated in this study. The neuropsychological tests were consecutively performed at the start of the EEG recording and 30 min after coffee consumption. Graph analyses were performed and compared before and after coffee consumption. Correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between changes in graph measures and those in cognitive function tests. FC was reorganized toward more efficient network properties after coffee consumption. Performance in Digit Span tests and Trail Making Test Part B improved after coffee consumption, and the improved performance in executive function was correlated with changes in graph measures, reflecting a shift toward efficient network properties. The beneficial effects of coffee on cognitive function might be attributed to the reorganization of FC toward more efficient network properties. Based on our findings, the patterns of network reorganization could be used as quantitative markers to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of coffee on cognition, especially executive function.

Executive functions in youths with autism spectrum disorder and their unaffected siblings

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guan-Jye Seng ◽  
Wan-Ling Tseng ◽  
Yen-Nan Chiu ◽  
Wen-Che Tsai ◽  
Yu-Yu Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Planning Problem

Abstract Background Executive dysfunction is one of the main cognitive theories of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite evidence of deficits in executive functions in individuals with ASD, little is known about executive dysfunctions as candidate cognitive endophenotypes for ASD. In this study, we investigated executive functions in youths with ASD, their unaffected siblings and typically developing controls (TDC). Methods We recruited 240 youths with a clinical diagnosis of ASD (aged 6–18 years), 147 unaffected siblings of ASD youths, and 240 TDC youths. TDC youths were recruited based on the age and sex distribution of the ASD youths. Participants were assessed using the verbal Digit Span test and four executive function tasks from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, including Intra-dimensional/Extra-dimensional Shift (I/ED), Spatial Span (SSP), Spatial Working Memory (SWM), and Stocking of Cambridge (SoC). Results ASD youths, relative to TDC, performed significantly worse in executive function tasks assessing verbal working memory (forward and backward digit span), set-shifting (I/ED), visuospatial working memory (SSP, SWM), and planning/problem solving (SoC). Furthermore, unaffected siblings, relative to TDC, performed worse in forward and backward digit recalls and made more errors in SWM. These results were independent of the effects of age, sex, IQ, and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Conclusions Our findings support impaired executive functions in youths with ASD. However, unaffected siblings were mostly unimpaired except in the areas of verbal and spatial working memory, which may be potential cognitive endophenotypes for ASD.

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