Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2025
10:38
A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
13.5K
Shielding working memory from distraction is more effortful than flexible updating
Danae Papadopetraki1,2, Monja I Froböse3, Andrew Westbrook4
1Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. danaepapadopetraki@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|April 18, 2025
Summary
People avoid cognitive effort, but this cost may promote flexibility. This study found that resisting distractors requires more subjective effort than flexible working memory updating, suggesting effort costs guide cognitive control strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Decision Making
Background:
- Cognitive control involves effort, often leading to avoidance.
- Effort cost may motivate cognitive flexibility over rigid focus.
- Understanding effort costs is key to cognitive control mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the subjective effort costs of distractor resistance versus flexible working memory updating.
- To investigate how effort costs influence the selection of cognitive control strategies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a delayed response paradigm to manipulate distractor resistance and flexible updating demands.
- Employed a cognitive effort discounting paradigm to quantify subjective effort costs.
- Tested predictions across two independent participant samples.
Main Results:
- Participants discounted tasks involving high distractor resistance and flexible updating compared to a break.
- The subjective effort cost for distractor resistance was significantly higher than for flexible updating.
- Findings were consistent across both tested samples.
Conclusions:
- Resisting stable distractors incurs a greater subjective effort cost than flexible working memory updating.
- Cognitive effort costs may serve as a crucial signal influencing the deployment of cognitive control.
- This highlights a potential mechanism by which effort avoidance promotes cognitive flexibility.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Working Memory
84
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...
84
01:19High-Level and Low-Level Awareness
225
Controlled processes in human consciousness represent high-alert mental states where individuals deliberately focus their attention on achieving specific goals. Controlled processes can be seen in situations like mastering new technology, where a person might become so absorbed that they ignore surrounding distractions. Such processes involve selective attention, requiring one to concentrate on particular elements of experience while disregarding others. These are governed by executive...
225
01:16Interference and Decay
68
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
68
01:22Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory
108
Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of...
108
01:14Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
206
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the...
206
01:30Information Processing Approach
14
The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is...
14