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Working memory processes and intrinsic motivation: An EEG study.

Natalia Zhozhikashvili¹, Maria Protopova², Tatiana Shkurenko³

¹Faculty of Social Sciences, HSE University, Moscow, Russia; Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioural Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

International Journal of Psychophysiology : Official Journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology

|May 8, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Motivation impacts working memory (WM) processes like encoding and retention, especially under high task difficulty. Resilience and subjective motivation influence brain activity (EEG) during these WM phases.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology

Background:

Working memory (WM) involves encoding, retention, and retrieval.
Motivation's influence on specific WM processes remains unclear.
Task difficulty may modulate motivation's effects on WM.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate how motivation affects distinct WM processes (encoding, retention, retrieval).
Examine the moderating role of task difficulty on motivation's WM influence.
Analyze electroencephalography (EEG) correlates of WM under varying motivation and difficulty.

Main Methods:

Used the Sternberg task to assess WM performance and EEG.
Recruited 48 participants (32 female, mean age 21).
Measured motivation levels, personality traits (Resilience), and task difficulty.

Main Results:

Increased task difficulty decreased accuracy and increased response time.
No direct link between motivation scores and accuracy was found.
EEG revealed motivation influenced WM: Resilience correlated with alpha oscillations during encoding/retrieval; Subjective Motivation correlated with frontal theta during retention.
These motivation-related EEG changes were amplified under high difficulty.

Conclusions:

Motivation specifically influences WM encoding, retention, and retrieval, as evidenced by EEG changes.
Task difficulty significantly modulates the effects of motivation on WM.
Findings highlight the importance of considering individual differences in motivation and task demands in WM research.