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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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How do intentions modulate the effect of working memory on long-term memory?
Maximilien Labaronne1, Laura Ferreri2,3, Gaën Plancher2,4
1Laboratoire d'Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Bron, France. m.labaronne@univ-lyon2.fr.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|September 18, 2023
Summary
Intentions to remember long-term do not alter working memory maintenance strategies. However, intention significantly boosts memory recall performance, suggesting a combined effect on encoding and maintenance processes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Memory Research
Background:
- Working memory maintenance is crucial for long-term memory formation.
- Prior research suggests intentionality may enhance this effect, but mechanisms remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how working memory maintenance adapts to intentional long-term memory.
- To examine the impact of intention on working memory strategies and recall performance.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments utilized verbal complex span tasks and delayed recall tests.
- Working memory maintenance was assessed via cognitive load manipulation and strategy reports.
- Intentions were manipulated by warning participants or offering performance-based rewards.
Main Results:
- No evidence found that intentions altered working memory maintenance mechanisms or strategies.
- Cognitive load and reward effects on recall increased with higher intentions.
- Results suggest intentions modulate encoding and maintenance processes, not just maintenance itself.
Conclusions:
- Intentions to remember long-term do not change working memory maintenance strategies.
- Intentions appear to enhance memory through a combined effect on encoding and maintenance.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the nature of intention's modulation on memory.
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