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Cognitive inhibition in selection and sequential retrieval.
1Department of Psychology, University of Regina, SK, Canada. katherine.arbuthnott@uregina.ca
Memory & Cognition
|July 6, 2000
Summary
Individual differences in working memory efficiency are linked to inhibitory processes. This study found a significant correlation between negative priming and negative error priming, supporting inhibitory models of working memory.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Inhibitory models propose working memory efficiency depends on excluding irrelevant and suppressing outdated information.
- Individual differences in working memory capacity are hypothesized to reflect consistent inhibitory efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if inhibitory processes in working memory operate at consistent individual levels.
- To examine the correlation between negative priming and negative error priming as measures of cognitive inhibition.
Main Methods:
- Participants completed tasks involving distractor-target pairs of arithmetic problems.
- Measures included response times to identify negative priming (ignoring distractors) and negative error priming (avoiding previous correct answers).
Main Results:
- Negative priming effects were observed for ignored distractors.
- Negative error priming effects were found for previously correct targets, but not distractors.
- A significant positive correlation was found between the magnitudes of negative priming and negative error priming.
Conclusions:
- The findings support inhibitory models of working memory efficiency.
- Consistent individual differences in inhibitory control may underlie working memory capacity.
- Both excluding irrelevant and suppressing outdated information rely on shared inhibitory mechanisms.