Working memory maintenance is sufficient to reduce state anxiety

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Attentional Control Theory (ACT) posits anxiety impairs cognition by favoring bottom-up over top-down attention, straining working memory resources.
• Prior research indicates working memory load, particularly with tasks like the n-back, can reduce state anxiety.
• A key question is whether this anxiety reduction is mediated by central executive functions, as ACT might imply.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if central executive engagement or working memory maintenance processes drive the anxiety reduction observed with increasing cognitive load.
• To investigate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between working memory load and state anxiety.
• To explore potential extensions of the Attentional Control Theory (ACT).

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Sternberg working memory paradigm to differentiate between maintenance and central executive processes.
• Manipulated working memory load (high vs. low) during the task.
• Measured participants' state anxiety levels during different task phases.

Main Results:

• Participants exhibited reduced state anxiety during the maintenance period of high-load trials compared to low-load trials.
• This anxiety reduction occurred even when central executive engagement was minimal, suggesting maintenance processes are sufficient.
• Findings contradict the ACT's implication that central executive mechanisms solely mediate the cognition-anxiety relationship.

Conclusions:

• Engaging working memory maintenance processes can suppress state anxiety in a load-dependent manner, extending the ACT.
• The observed anxiety reduction is not solely dependent on central executive functions.
• This load-dependent anxiety suppression may moderate the impact of trait anxiety on cognitive performance.