scholarly journals Individual differences in working memory capacity and learning: Evidence from the serial reaction time task

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nash Unsworth ◽  
Randall W. Engle
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Serial Reaction Time Task ◽  
Serial Reaction Time ◽  
Time Task ◽  
Serial Reaction

scholarly journals Individual differences in implicit motor learning: task specificity in sensorimotor adaptation and sequence learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 412-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alit Stark-Inbar ◽  
Meher Raza ◽  
Jordan A. Taylor ◽  
Richard B. Ivry
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Visuomotor Adaptation ◽  
Serial Reaction Time Task ◽  
Sensorimotor Adaptation ◽  
Serial Reaction Time ◽  
Time Task ◽  
Serial Reaction

In standard taxonomies, motor skills are typically treated as representative of implicit or procedural memory. We examined two emblematic tasks of implicit motor learning, sensorimotor adaptation and sequence learning, asking whether individual differences in learning are correlated between these tasks, as well as how individual differences within each task are related to different performance variables. As a prerequisite, it was essential to establish the reliability of learning measures for each task. Participants were tested twice on a visuomotor adaptation task and on a sequence learning task, either the serial reaction time task or the alternating reaction time task. Learning was evident in all tasks at the group level and reliable at the individual level in visuomotor adaptation and the alternating reaction time task but not in the serial reaction time task. Performance variability was predictive of learning in both domains, yet the relationship was in the opposite direction for adaptation and sequence learning. For the former, faster learning was associated with lower variability, consistent with models of sensorimotor adaptation in which learning rates are sensitive to noise. For the latter, greater learning was associated with higher variability and slower reaction times, factors that may facilitate the spread of activation required to form predictive, sequential associations. Interestingly, learning measures of the different tasks were not correlated. Together, these results oppose a shared process for implicit learning in sensorimotor adaptation and sequence learning and provide insight into the factors that account for individual differences in learning within each task domain.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We investigated individual differences in the ability to implicitly learn motor skills. As a prerequisite, we assessed whether individual differences were reliable across test sessions. We found that two commonly used tasks of implicit learning, visuomotor adaptation and the alternating serial reaction time task, exhibited good test-retest reliability in measures of learning and performance. However, the learning measures did not correlate between the two tasks, arguing against a shared process for implicit motor learning.

scholarly journals Adaptive aspects of impulsivity and interactions with effects of catecholaminergic agents in the 5-choice serial reaction time task: implications for ADHD

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Toschi ◽  
Mona El-Sayed Hervig ◽  
Parisa Moazen ◽  
Maximilian G. Parker ◽  
Jeffrey W. Dalley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Serial Reaction Time Task ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Serial Reaction Time ◽  
Impaired Performance ◽  
Time Task ◽  
Serial Reaction ◽  
Behavioural Profile ◽  
Improved Performance

Abstract Background Work in humans has shown that impulsivity can be advantageous in certain settings. However, evidence for so-called functional impulsivity is lacking in experimental animals. Aims This study investigated the contexts in which high impulsive (HI) rats show an advantage in performance compared with mid- (MI) and low impulsive (LI) rats. We also assessed the effects of dopaminergic and noradrenergic agents to investigate underlying neurotransmitter mechanisms. Methods We tested rats on a variable inter-trial interval (ITI) version of the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT). Rats received systemic injections of methylphenidate (MPH, 1 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg), atomoxetine (ATO, 0.3 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg), amphetamine (AMPH, 0.2 mg/kg), the alpha-2a adrenoceptor antagonist atipamezole (ATI, 0.3 mg/kg) and the alpha-1 adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine (PHEN, 1 mg/kg) prior to behavioural testing. Results Unlike LI rats, HI rats exhibited superior performance, earning more reinforcers, on short ITI trials, when the task required rapid responding. MPH, AMPH and ATI improved performance on short ITI trials and increased impulsivity in long ITI trials, recapitulating the behavioural profile of HI. In contrast, ATO and PHEN impaired performance on short ITI trials and decreased impulsivity, thus mimicking the behavioural profile of LI rats. The effects of ATO were greater on MI rats and LI rats. Conclusions These findings indicate that impulsivity can be advantageous when rapid focusing and actions are required, an effect that may depend on increased dopamine neurotransmission. Conversely, activation of the noradrenergic system, with ATO and PHEN, led to a general inhibition of responding.

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