Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2025
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A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
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Memory load influences our preparedness to act on visual representations in working memory without affecting their
Rose Nasrawi1, Mika Mautner-Rohde1, Freek van Ede1
1Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Progress in Neurobiology
|January 9, 2025
Summary
Higher working memory load slows behavior by delaying motor action selection, not sensory access. This suggests reduced action readiness, not impaired memory retrieval, underlies slower responses when holding more information.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Human Behavior
- Psychology
Background:
- Increased cognitive load in working memory is known to impair behavioral response times.
- The precise mechanism behind this load-related slowing remains debated, with theories suggesting either impaired sensory access or reduced action preparedness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether working memory load affects sensory access or action preparedness.
- To differentiate between serial search and action readiness models of working memory limitations.
Main Methods:
- A visual-motor task was employed where participants recalled orientations of 2 or 4 bars.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to independently track latencies of visual and motor selection.
- EEG time-frequency analysis examined markers of sensory and motor processing relative to memory load.
Main Results:
- Behavioral response times were slower with increased working memory load.
- EEG data revealed delayed motor selection, but not visual selection, with higher memory load.
- Variability in decision times correlated with motor selection latency, not visual selection latency.
Conclusions:
- Working memory load primarily impacts action readiness, delaying the preparation to act on sensory information.
- Sensory access to representations in working memory is not directly affected by memory load.
- Action readiness is a critical factor influencing the speed of memory-guided behavior under cognitive load.
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