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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
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Cognitive Capacity, Representation, and Instruction.

Thomas Kleinsorge1

  • 1Department Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at the TU Dortmund (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany.

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|August 6, 2021
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cognitive Psychology struggles with cognitive capacity due to issues with understanding representation, especially task representation. Analyzing instructions and task representations can improve our understanding of cognitive capacity limits.

Keywords:
cognitive capacitycognitive resourceinstructionrepresentationtask space

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Experimental Psychology

Background:

  • Cognitive Psychology faces persistent challenges in defining and measuring 'cognitive capacity'.
  • A significant, yet often overlooked, factor is the field's historical difficulty in conceptualizing 'representation' and 'task representation'.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the link between the conceptualization of 'representation' and 'cognitive capacity' within Cognitive Psychology.
  • To highlight the critical role of experimental instructions in shaping 'task representation'.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of how instructions influence task representations.
  • Experimental manipulation of instructions to observe effects on cognitive capacity.

Main Results:

  • Problems in defining cognitive capacity are deeply intertwined with a failure to adequately address the concept of representation.
  • Task representation, significantly influenced by experimental instructions, is a key determinant of cognitive capacity.

Conclusions:

  • Revisiting the concept of representation, particularly task representation, is crucial for advancing the understanding of cognitive capacity.
  • Systematic analysis and variation of instructions offer a promising avenue for future research into cognitive capacity limitations.