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Related Experiment Videos

Random generation and the executive control of working memory

A Baddeley1, H Emslie, J Kolodny

  • 1University of Bristol, Department of Psychology, U.K.

The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. A, Human Experimental Psychology
|December 17, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Generating random responses relies on executive functions like switching and inhibition. Tasks that disrupt these processes, such as category switching, reduce response randomness, impacting working memory capacity.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human Memory

Background:

  • The central executive component of working memory is crucial for cognitive control.
  • Random response generation is a key measure of executive function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between random response generation and working memory executive functions.
  • To explore how different cognitive tasks affect the randomness of generated sequences.

Main Methods:

  • Experiments involved generating sequences of random responses (digits, key presses).
  • Concurrent tasks included serial recall, semantic category generation, digit generation, and a fluid intelligence test.
  • The switching hypothesis was tested by introducing category switching tasks.

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Main Results:

  • Response randomness decreased with increased generation speed and with concurrent serial recall.
  • Concurrent semantic category generation and fluid intelligence tests significantly reduced randomness.
  • Tasks requiring response inhibition and retrieval plan switching, like category fluency, impaired random generation.

Conclusions:

  • Random response generation is sensitive to executive working memory load, particularly processes of switching and inhibition.
  • The findings support the 'switching hypothesis,' suggesting that tasks requiring frequent shifts in retrieval plans interfere with random generation.
  • Executive functions are critical for maintaining response randomness and are measurable through tasks like random generation.