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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

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Published on: September 20, 2020

Working memory involvement in dual-task performance: evidence from the backward compatibility effect.

Ravid Ellenbogen¹, Nachshon Meiran

¹Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. ravidel@bgu.ac.il

Memory & Cognition

|July 17, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Parallel response activation in dual-tasking occurs because task rules are held in working memory (WM). High WM load disrupts this parallel processing, indicating WM

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Human Factors

Background:

Dual-task performance often exhibits parallel response activation.
The role of working memory (WM) in mediating this phenomenon remains under investigation.
Previous research suggests task rules influence response selection.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the hypothesis that parallel response activation in dual-tasking stems from holding task rules in working memory (WM).
To examine how varying working memory load affects the backward compatibility effect (BCE) as a marker of parallel response activation.
To differentiate the impact of abstract rule types versus stimulus-response (S-R) rules on WM load.

Main Methods:

Three experiments were conducted manipulating working memory load during dual-task performance.
The backward compatibility effect (BCE) was used as a measure of parallel response activation.
Participants performed tasks with varying numbers of primary task rules (2, 4, or 6) to manipulate WM load.

Main Results:

Increasing task rules from two to four did not affect the BCE.
A higher load condition (six primary task rules) significantly reduced the BCE, indicating diminished parallel response activation.
Experiment 3 demonstrated that abstract stimulus-category-to-response rules, not S-R rules, contribute to WM load.

Conclusions:

Parallel response activation during dual-tasking is dependent on holding task rules within working memory.
Elevated working memory load, particularly with abstract rules, impairs parallel processing.
Findings elucidate the mechanisms underlying dual-task interference and the role of rule representation in cognitive control.