Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 27, 2025
10:38
A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
13.9K
Interference control in working memory: Evidence for discriminant validity between removal and inhibition tasks.
Alodie Rey-Mermet1,2, Krishneil A Singh3, Gilles E Gignac3
1Faculty of Psychology, Swiss Distance University Institute, Brig, Switzerland.
Plos One
|December 2, 2020
Summary
Working memory (WM) requires interference control. This study found that removal, a WM process, is distinct from inhibition, suggesting they are independent cognitive functions.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Working memory (WM) maintains goal-relevant information but has limited capacity.
- Interference control is crucial for WM, involving processes like removal and inhibition.
- Removal clears irrelevant information, while inhibition suppresses distractors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if removal and inhibition tasks measure the same interference-control construct in working memory.
- To determine the relationship between removal and inhibition processes.
Main Methods:
- Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from removal and inhibition tasks.
- Reliability analyses were conducted on all measures.
- Disattenuation for imperfect reliability was applied to the inhibition measures.
Main Results:
- Most measures demonstrated acceptable to good reliability.
- A reliable latent variable for removal was identified.
- No reliable latent variable for inhibition could be established, even after disattenuation.
- Individual inhibition measures were unrelated to the removal latent variable.
Conclusions:
- Removal appears to be a distinct cognitive process, separate from inhibition.
- These findings support conceptualizing removal independently from inhibition in working memory models.
- Removal may involve 'unbinding' items from their context, as suggested by computational models.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Interference and Decay
313
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
313
01:24Working Memory
589
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...
589