Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Individual differences in working memory capacity and learning: evidence from the serial reaction time task.

Nash Unsworth1, Randall W Engle

  • 1School of Psychology, 654 Cherry St., Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0170, USA. gtg039d@prism.gatech.edu

Memory & Cognition
|July 21, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Working memory capacity influences learning of sequential information, particularly when intentional learning is involved. Differences in working memory (WM) capacity are linked to controlled processing, not automatic tasks.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Examining memory specificity and generalization contributions to false recall in DRM paradigm.

Research square·2026
Same author

Attention control ability is associated with frontoparietal control network interactions.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Investigating the role of attentional effort in the efficacy of goal-setting in reducing attention lapses.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2025
Same author

Individual differences in attention and learning: A latent variable analysis.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2025
Same author

Investigating a mental effort explanation of the generation effect using pupillometry.

Memory & cognition·2025
Same author

Faster, smarter, and more attentive: The control of attention is about more than just conflict resolution.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2025
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Working memory (WM) capacity is crucial for cognitive tasks.
  • Understanding individual differences in learning is important.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of WM capacity in sequential information learning.
  • To differentiate WM's influence under intentional versus incidental learning conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Participants with high and low WM capacity performed a serial reaction time task.
  • Learning was assessed under both incidental and intentional conditions.

Main Results:

  • WM capacity differences were significant in intentional learning but not incidental learning.
  • Individual differences in WM capacity relate to controlled processing, not automatic processing.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Learning was associated with general fluid intelligence only under intentional conditions.

    • Conclusions:

    • WM capacity impacts learning requiring cognitive control.
    • Higher-order cognition, like fluid intelligence, is linked to learning when intentional processing is emphasized.