Working Memory Capacity as a Determinant of Proactive Interference and Auditory Distraction

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) are linked to various cognitive functions.
• Two main theories of WMC exist: executive attention and temporary binding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the executive attention and temporary binding theories of WMC.
• To investigate how proactive interference and irrelevant background speech affect cognitive performance.
• To examine individual differences in managing these distractions.

Main Methods:

• A short-term updating task was employed with manipulated proactive interference.
• Irrelevant background speech was introduced as a secondary distractor.
• Speech content was designed to either reinforce or interfere with list items.

Main Results:

• WMC correlated with overall task performance and the degree of proactive interference.
• No significant individual differences were found in suppressing interfering information.
• Priming effects from background speech did not show individual variability.

Conclusions:

• Results offer limited support for the WMC as executive attention model.
• Some evidence supports the WMC as temporary binding perspective.
• Certain distraction effects appear to operate outside of voluntary control.