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Related Experiment Videos

Working memory span: the effect of prior learning.

Cindy Lustig1, Lynn Hasher

  • 1Duke University, USA. clustig@artsci.wustl.edu

The American Journal of Psychology
|March 1, 2002
PubMed
Summary
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Working memory span (WMS) tasks may be influenced by proactive interference (PI). Experienced participants showed lower span scores, suggesting WMS is not a pure measure of cognitive capacity.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Memory research

Background:

  • Working memory span (WMS) tasks are traditionally viewed as measures of cognitive capacity.
  • Emerging research indicates WMS may be influenced by factors beyond pure capacity, such as proactive interference (PI).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether proactive interference (PI) affects working memory span (WMS) task performance.
  • To determine if prior exposure to memory experiments influences WMS scores.

Main Methods:

  • A speaking span task was administered to both experimentally experienced and naive participants.
  • Cognitive scores were compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

  • Span scores were significantly lower in experimentally experienced participants compared to naive participants.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Other cognitive measures did not differ between the groups, isolating the effect on WMS.

    • Conclusions:

    • Working memory span (WMS) estimates are not solely pure measures of cognitive capacity.
    • Proactive interference (PI) from prior experimental exposure appears to partially determine WMS performance.