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A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
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Dynamic adjustments in working memory in the face of affective interference.
J E Witkin1, A P Zanesco1, E Denkova1
1Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
Memory & Cognition
|August 7, 2019
Summary
Cognitive control dynamically adjusts to demands. Affective interference, like memory load, triggers these adjustments, enhancing performance in working memory tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Cognitive control enables goal-directed behavior and is dynamically adjusted based on cognitive demands.
- Response conflict detection is a known mechanism for registering these demands.
- Working memory (WM) load may also signal adjustments in cognitive control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if affective interference, similar to cognitive interference, upregulates cognitive control.
- To extend prior research on dynamic adjustments in cognitive control during WM tasks.
Main Methods:
- A delayed-recognition working memory (WM) task was employed with manipulations of mnemonic load and affective interference.
- Experiment 1 involved 89 participants; Experiment 2 was a pre-registered replication with 100 participants.
Main Results:
- Mnemonic load dynamically adjusted cognitive control, improving performance with higher loads.
- Affective interference also triggered dynamic adjustments, with negative distractors enhancing performance compared to neutral distractors.
- These findings were replicated in a second study.
Conclusions:
- Affective interference, alongside mnemonic load, can trigger dynamic adjustments in cognitive control.
- This suggests that emotional stimuli play a role in regulating cognitive control during WM tasks, similar to cognitive interference.
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