scholarly journals Working memory and the attentional blink: Blink size is predicted by individual differences in operation span

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1051-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenza S. Colzato ◽  
Michiel M. A. Spapé ◽  
Merel M. Pannebakker ◽  
Bernhard Hommel
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Operation Span

scholarly journals Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Left Dorsolateral pFC on the Attentional Blink Depend on Individual Baseline Performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 2382-2393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel E. London ◽  
Heleen A. Slagter
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Anodal Tdcs ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs ◽  
Left Dlpfc

Selection mechanisms that dynamically gate only relevant perceptual information for further processing and sustained representation in working memory are critical for goal-directed behavior. We examined whether this gating process can be modulated by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left dorsolateral pFC (DLPFC)—a region known to play a key role in working memory and conscious access. Specifically, we examined the effects of tDCS on the magnitude of the so-called “attentional blink” (AB), a deficit in identifying the second of two targets presented in rapid succession. Thirty-four participants performed a standard AB task before (baseline), during, and after 20 min of 1-mA anodal and cathodal tDCS in two separate sessions. On the basis of previous reports linking individual differences in AB magnitude to individual differences in DLPFC activity and on suggestions that effects of tDCS depend on baseline brain activity levels, we hypothesized that anodal tDCS over left DLPFC would modulate the magnitude of the AB as a function of individual baseline AB magnitude. Indeed, individual differences analyses revealed that anodal tDCS decreased the AB in participants with a large baseline AB but increased the AB in participants with a small baseline AB. This effect was only observed during (but not after) stimulation, was not found for cathodal tDCS, and could not be explained by regression to the mean. Notably, the effects of tDCS were not apparent at the group level, highlighting the importance of taking individual variability in performance into account when evaluating the effectiveness of tDCS. These findings support the idea that left DLPFC plays a critical role in the AB and in conscious access more generally. They are also in line with the notion that there is an optimal level of prefrontal activity for cognitive function, with both too little and too much activity hurting performance.

scholarly journals How do Individual Differences in Attention Control and Working Memory Capacity Relate to Monitoring Automation?

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1409-1413
Author(s):  
Cyrus K. Foroughi ◽  
Ericka Rovira ◽  
Kaley Rose ◽  
DaShawn Davis ◽  
Jaritzel J. Jurado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Significant Positive Relationship ◽  
Operation Span ◽  
Saccade Task

With the proliferation of automated tasks, software, and systems, humans are moving from an active participant in the function of a task to a passive monitor of an automated system that is completing that task. Unfortunately, humans are not well-suited for monitoring roles and there is a need to better understand the factors involved when humans successfully identify when an automated system fails. The goal for this research was to determine whether individual differences in attention control (as measured by the anti-saccade task) and working memory capacity (as measured by the shortened operation span) related to an individual’s ability to detect automation failures. In experiment 1, there was a significant positive relationship ( r = .31) between scores on the anti-saccade task and the number of automation failures that participants detected. In experiment 2, there was a significant positive relationship ( r = .32) between scores on the shortened operation span and the number of automation failures that participants’ detected. The results suggest that certain individuals are better suited for detecting automation failures. Selecting for these individuals may be a fruitful endeavor as automated systems continue to grow across society.

scholarly journals Complementary Correlational Profiles between Slow Wave Brain Oscillations and Working Memory Capacity

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Eddy J. Davelaar ◽  
Eddy J. Davelaar
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Operation Span ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings

Working memory involves a range of functions, including maintenance of information and processing that information undisturbed by distraction. Neuroscientific studies have observed critical contributions from frontal and parietal brain regions during processing of cognitive demanding tasks. However, less is known about individual differences in the resting state and their association with working memory capacity. In this study, electrophysiological recordings were taken from thirty volunteers in eyes closed and eyes open conditions after completing the automated version of the operation span task. The results reveal two clusters of correlations: a midline-theta cluster and a parieto-temporal alpha cluster. The theta and alpha clusters have a negative and a positive correlation with operation span performance, respectively. These results are interpreted as individual differences in cognitive preparedness, with the centro-parietal region being critical in switching between outward and inward attention, with the balance of theta and alpha spectral power at Pz indicating to where cognitive resources are directed.

scholarly journals Dopamine and the Management of Attentional Resources: Genetic Markers of Striatal D2 Dopamine Predict Individual Differences in the Attentional Blink

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 3576-3585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenza S. Colzato ◽  
Heleen A. Slagter ◽  
Mischa de Rover ◽  
Bernhard Hommel
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
D2 Receptors ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
Rapid Sequence ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Dopaminergic Pathways

The attentional blink (AB)—a deficit in reporting the second of two target stimuli presented in close succession in a rapid sequence of distracters—has been related to processing limitations in working memory. Given that dopamine (DA) plays a crucial role working memory, the present study tested whether individual differences in the size of the AB can be predicted by differences in genetic predisposition related to the efficiency of dopaminergic pathways. Polymorphisms related to mesocortical and nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathways were considered, as well as polymorphisms related to norepinephrine (NE), a transmitter system that has also been suspected to play a role in the AB. In a sample of 157 healthy adults, we studied the dependency of the individual magnitude of the AB and the C957T polymorphism at the DRD2 gene (associated with striatal DA/D2 receptors), the DARPP32 polymorphism (associated with striatal DA/D1), the COMT Val158Met polymorphism (associated with frontal DA), DBH444 g/a and DBH5′-ins/del polymorphisms (polymorphisms strongly correlated with DA beta hydroxylase, the enzyme catalyzing the DA–NE conversion) and NET T-182C (a polymorphism related to the NE transporter). DRD2 C957T T/T homozygotes showed a significantly smaller AB, whereas polymorphisms associated with frontal DA and NE were unrelated to performance. This outcome pattern suggests a crucial role of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway and of nigrostriatal D2 receptors, in particular, in the management of attentional resources.

Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity Associated with Individual Differences in the Attentional Blink

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 6224-6237
Author(s):  
Liqin Zhou ◽  
Zonglei Zhen ◽  
Jia Liu ◽  
Ke Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
Structural Variations ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
The Individual

Abstract The attentional blink (AB) has been central in characterizing the limit of temporal attention and consciousness. The neural mechanism of the AB is still in hot debate. With a large sample size, we combined multiple behavioral tests, multimodal MRI measures, and transcranial magnetic stimulation to investigate the neural basis underlying the individual differences in the AB. We found that AB magnitude correlated with the executive control functioning of working memory (WM) in behavior, which was fully mediated by T1 performance. Structural variations in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) and its intrinsic functional connectivity with the left inferior frontal junction (lIFJ) accounted for the individual differences in the AB, which was moderated by the executive control of working memory. Disrupting the function of the lIFJ attenuated the AB deficit. Our findings clarified the neural correlates of the individual differences in the AB and elucidated its relationship with the consolidation-driven inhibitory control process.

scholarly journals The Contributions of Strategy Use to Working Memory Span: A Comparison of Strategy Assessment Methods

2007 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 1227-1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Dunlosky ◽  
Michael J. Kane
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Operation Span ◽  
Relative Utility ◽  
The Relationship

In two experiments, we tested whether individual differences in strategy production account for individual differences in performance on a working memory span task. We measured the strategies used during a standard experimenter-paced operation span (OSPAN) task by having participants make both set-by-set reports of strategy use for individual item sets and global reports of strategy use. In Experiment 1, although normatively effective strategies were self-reported on only a small proportion of OSPAN sets, individual differences in effective strategy use correlated with span performance. Experiment 2 replicated this outcome using a sample of 100 participants but, as important, it demonstrated that individual differences in effective strategy use did not mediate the relationship between OSPAN and measures of verbal ability. Discussion focuses on the interpretation of strategy–span relationships and the relative utility of general reports of strategy use versus the set-by-set reports introduced here for the OSPAN task.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document