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Procedural-Memory, Working-Memory, and Declarative-Memory Skills Are Each Associated With Dimensional Integration in
Carolyn Quam1,2,3, Alisa Wang2, W Todd Maddox4
1Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Portland State University, Portland, OR, United States.
Frontiers in Psychology
|October 19, 2018
Summary
Procedural memory supports implicit learning of novel sound categories, especially with extended training. Working memory also plays a role in this complex auditory learning process.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Speech Perception
Background:
- Implicit learning and memory systems are crucial for acquiring new skills.
- Information-integration category learning often relies on implicit processes.
- Understanding the interplay of different memory systems in auditory learning is key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the roles of procedural, declarative, and working memory in learning novel sound categories.
- To examine how different memory systems contribute to dimensional integration in auditory learning.
- To test the hypothesis that procedural memory is essential for implicit sound-category learning.
Main Methods:
- Participants completed a sound-categorization task involving vowel quality and pitch.
- Procedural memory was assessed using a serial-reaction-time task.
- Declarative and working memory were measured using established psychometric tests.
- Two experiments varied training duration and focus to elicit different learning strategies.
Main Results:
- Experiment 1 showed declarative memory's contribution to initial learning.
- Experiment 2, with extended training, revealed procedural memory's role and unexpected working memory effects.
- Learning outcomes shifted from declarative to procedural and working memory involvement with increased training.
Conclusions:
- Procedural memory is critical for implicit sound-category learning, particularly with sufficient training.
- Working memory emerges as a significant factor in complex auditory learning.
- Findings support a multiple-systems model where memory systems interact to facilitate learning and strategy transfer.
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