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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
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Working memory capacity and intra-individual variability of proactive control.
Elizabeth A Wiemers1, Thomas S Redick1
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, United States.
Acta Psychologica
|November 12, 2017
Summary
Individuals with lower working memory capacity (WMC) show distinct patterns of cognitive control, making more errors and exhibiting slower responses on cognitive tasks. These findings highlight WMC
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Behavior
Background:
- Individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) are crucial for understanding cognitive abilities.
- Dynamic cognitive control, the ability to adapt control based on task demands, is essential for goal-directed behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) and dynamic cognitive control.
- To identify specific differences in cognitive control strategies between high- and low-WMC individuals.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two datasets comprising 110 young adults.
- Employed the AX version of the continuous performance test (AX-CPT) to assess cognitive control.
- Analyzed performance metrics including error rates and response time distributions.
Main Results:
- Low-WMC individuals made more errors, particularly on AX targets.
- Low-WMC individuals showed a partial shift to proactive control with increased time-on-task.
- Exaggerated slower response times for AX targets were observed in low-WMC individuals.
- Control adjustment after conflict was similar between high- and low-WMC groups.
Conclusions:
- Individual differences in WMC are associated with distinct patterns of dynamic cognitive control.
- Findings align with the dual mechanisms of cognitive control theory and goal-maintenance accounts.
- WMC influences intra-individual variability in cognitive control enactment and maintenance.
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