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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
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Working Memory Capacity Depends on Attention Control, but Not Selective Attention.
Alexander I Kotyusov1, Dauren Kasanov1, Alexandra I Kosachenko1
1Academic and Research Laboratory of Neurotechnology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg 620000, Russia.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 25, 2023
Summary
Working memory and attention are distinct cognitive functions. Working memory capacity is linked to attention control, but not selective attention, suggesting task-related attention is key.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Working memory and attention are often considered intertwined cognitive processes.
- Attention is not a monolithic construct, implying varied effects on working memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific relationships between working memory capacity and distinct components of attention.
- To determine if selective attention or attention control differentially impacts working memory.
Main Methods:
- 136 healthy adults (18-37 years) completed tasks assessing working memory (e.g., operation span, digit span), selective attention (visual search), and attention control (Stroop, antisaccade).
- Confirmatory factor analysis was used to model the relationships between latent variables of working memory, selective attention, and attention control.
Main Results:
- A three-factor model (working memory capacity, attention control, selective attention) provided the best fit to the data.
- Working memory capacity was significantly correlated only with attention control.
- Attention control demonstrated correlations with both working memory capacity and selective attention.
Conclusions:
- Working memory and attention are distinct yet correlated cognitive constructs.
- The ability to maintain focus on a task (attention control) is crucial for working memory capacity.
- Filtering irrelevant distractors (selective attention) does not appear to directly influence working memory capacity.
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