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Morris, Neil Gerald. "Working memory constellations." Thesis, Durham University, 1986. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/7057/.
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Evidence is presented that supports the view that most models of short-term memory cannot account for the flexibility of the primary memory system. It is argued that the working memory model outlined by Baddeley and Hitch (1974) is, however, a potentially adequate model. Working memory, in this thesis, is depicted as a system that assembles 'constellations' consisting of the central executive and one or more sub-systems. This view suggests a formulation that is considerably more complex than the 1974 model. The empirical studies examine the role of the visuo-spatial scratch pad in the formation and maintenance of working memory constellations. It is concluded from these studies that the scratch pad is independent of the articulatory loop but is usually coupled to the central executive except during maintenance rehearsal. Furthermore, it can be used concurrently with the articulatory loop to process spatial aspects of highly verbal tasks. However a constellation consisting of the executive, the loop and the scratch pad is vulnerable to a wider range of interference effects than a simpler constellation. Paivio (1971) suggested that 'dual coding' leads to better memory performance, however, this is only the case when no distractors are present. The final two chapters present some speculations on how working memory research might proceed in the future. It is concluded that the current trend towards collecting convergent evidence and the emphasis on testing theory in applied situations should give us insights into memory that were not available to Ebbinghaus and other early memory researchers.
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Tsukahara, Jason Seiichi. "The Role of Working Memory Resources in Mind Wandering: The Difference Between Working Memory Capacity and Working Memory Load." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2014. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/81.
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There is no consensus on the relationship between working memory resources and mind wandering. The purpose of the current study is to investigate whether mind wandering requires working memory resources to be sustained. The resource-demanding view is that mind wandering requires working memory resources to sustain an internal train of thought (Smallwood, 2010). The resource-free view is that mind wandering is a result of executive control failures and this internal train of thought proceeds in a resource-free manner (McVay & Kane, 2010). Participants were presented with thought probes while they performed a Simon task in single and dual task conditions. From the resource-demanding view, individuals with high WMC should experience more Task unrelated thought (TUT) in single and dual task conditions compared to those with low WMC. From the resource-free view, individuals with high WMC should experience fewer TUT compared to low WMC individuals. Results indicated that, WML eliminated the Simon effect for high WMC and reduced it for low WMC group. Mind wandering was decreased in dual task conditions however there was no effect of working memory capacity on mind wandering. Also, mind wandering correlated with task performance measures for the low WMC but not high WMC group. The results of the current study do not provide strong support for either a resource-demanding or resource-free view and are discussed in terms of a context dependent relationship between WMC and mind wandering
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Jin, Ya-shyuan. "Is working memory working in consecutive interpreting?" Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/4451.
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It is generally agreed that language interpreting is cognitively demanding; how- ever, to date there is little evidence to indicate how working memory is involved in the task, perhaps due to methodological limitations. Based on a full considera- tion of key components of interpreting, two series of experiments were conducted to explore how working memory might play a role in discourse and sentence inter- preting. If working memory is implicated both in grammatical encoding into the target language, and in temporary storage of the discourse content, then higher demand in one function might compromise the other. Thus discourses that di er in word orders between languages could increase the processing load and leave less resource for memory maintenance, a ecting recall performance. In Experiment 1, Chinese-English bilingual participants' memory performance was compared when they translated passages from Chinese to English and from English to Chinese, where the expected word order was either congruent or incongruent between source and target. Recall was not sensitive to word order or direction of translation. Per- haps surprisingly, memory for incongruent discourses was numerically better than that for congruent sentences. Experiment 2 showed that interpreting trainees per- formed just like the participants in Experiment 1 did, suggesting that memory performance was not modulated by translation direction in pro cient translators. Experiment 3 explored the relationship between surface form transformation and recall. As discourse paraphrasing did not result in better recall than verbatim recall, it was concluded that the better memory performance for incongruent discourse in- terpreting suggested by Experiment 1 was not the result of active manipulation of word form or word order in interpreting. Finally, a free recall task among native English speakers showed that the incongruent discourses tested in earlier experi- ments were intrinsically more memorable than congruent discourses (Experiment 4). Despite this confound, this series of experiments highlighted the importance of comprehension in interpreting, but it did not rule out the role of working memory in the task. The role of working memory in interpreting was further explored using on-line measures in Experiments 5-8. Experiment 5 replicated a self-paced reading study by Ruiz, Paredes, Macizo, and Bajo (2008), comparing participants’ times to read sentences for translation to those to read them normally. The data showed that participants accessed lexical and syntactic properties of a target language in the reading-for-translation condition when resources were available to them. In order to explore the role of working memory in sentence interpreting, a dual-task paradigm was used in Experiment 6. When participants' working memory was occupied by a secondary task (digit preload), reading times were only different numerically between congruent and incongruent sentences. Crucially, reading times decreased as digit preload increased. Since there were no differences in the interpretations produced or in digit recall, it appears that participants were flexible in their resource allocation, suggesting that processing can be tuned up to optimise performance for concurrent tasks. Experiment 7 refined the procedure in the order of responses for the dual tasks but replicated the results of Experiment 6. A closer examination of participants’ interpretation responses showed that devices that could reduce processing load in target language production may have been strategically employed. Finally, another set of sentences were used in Experiment 8 in an attempt to replicate Experiment 5. A failure to replicate the earlier findings suggested that working memory demand might differ for different syntactic structures in sentence interpreting. All in all, this thesis shows that research in language interpreting benefits by taking a full account of the key components of interpreting. The use of on-line measures allowed us to take a ne-grained approach to the investigation of interpretation processes. It is proposed in this thesis that interpreting research may gain more insight from the data by incorporating some of the theories and methods typically used in research into language production.
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DeFraine, William C. "Defining affective working memory." Winston-Salem, NC : Wake Forest University, 2009. http://dspace.zsr.wfu.edu/jspui/handle/10339/42598.
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Zokaei, N. "Modulation of working memory." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2013. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1393276/.
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Visual working memory, a limited temporary storage system for relevant information, is a critical contributor to many essential cognitive functions. In this thesis, I aimed to investigate some of the mechanisms underlying working memory in healthy humans and neurological patients, as well as its modulation by processes attributed to attention and the neurotransmitter dopamine. There currently is an important controversy regarding models of working memory. I investigated whether a resource model of memory (which argues for a limited resource distributed amongst to-be-remembered items) might be extended to the domain of visual motion. The results suggest that this is indeed be the case, supporting the utility of this model as a general conceptual framework for understanding working memory across a range of visual features and modes of presentation (Chapter 2). A comprehensive model of working memory should consider its relationship with attention. My findings point to an intimate yet highly specific relationship between these two processes, demonstrating that attention is essential for maintenance of integrated features within working memory (Chapters 2 and 4). Further, evidence for a causal role of early visual areas in maintenance of items in focus of attention, compared to the full content of working memory, is provided using transcranial magnetic stimulation (Chapter 3). Finally, I investigated neuromodulation of working memory processes by dopamine in patients with dopamine dysfunction (Parkinson’s disease) and using the dopamine agonist, Cabergoline, in healthy controls. The results demonstrate that dopamine can modulate working memory precision (Chapter 5 and 6). Furthermore, deficits in working memory were also observed in individuals with glucocerebrosidase mutations who have a significantly raised risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (Chapter 7). I discuss the possibility that specific deficits in working memory might provide a cognitive marker of risk for neurodegeneration and development of Parkinson’s disease.
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Ralston, George Eastop. "Visuo-spatial working memory." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/9595.
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This study set out to investigate the visuo-spatial component of Baddeley and Hitch's (1974) Working Memory framework. The development of our understanding of this component has been less dramatic than that of its verbal counterpart, the Articulatory Loop. The primary reason for this can be said to be the lack of techniques for investigation (Logie, 1986). This thesis presents one attempt to try to explore the nature of this code and to reveal possible new techniques of investigation. The following are three possible areas of investigation : 1. Is the system spatially or visually based? 2. Does movement have a role in the system? 3. How is information stored? The latter two issues are investigated here. Experiments 1-4 set out to explore the possibility that movement may be involved in the code. These experiments supported the idea that movement has a role to play in spatial coding and more specifically demonstrated that arm movements which are not compatible with the presentation of spatial material can cause disruption. In addition it was shown that when movement identical to that involved in presentation is encouraged at recall subjects show marked improvement in performance. Together these results very strongly suggest that movement should be given prominent reference in the definition of spatial coding and in the description of the visuo-spatial slave system. Another development that came out of these experiments relates to the lack of investigative techniques in the field of visuo-spatial short term memory. The fact that movement has been shown to be important suggests that techniques employed to investigate kinaesthetic memory will aid us in exploring visuo-spatial coding. The second issue in this thesis explored further the nature of the internal code. Research into the nature of coding in visuo-spatial memory had previously argued for the presence of a sequential component. Experiments 1-4 in this thesis had shown that movement had an important role to play in coding. The fact that movement by its very nature would appear to be sequential suggested that there was a strong sequential element in coding within visuo-spatial memory. However, concern was expressed that the materials and presentation format used may have led to sequential coding. This was first explored in experiments 5-8. The results supported the view that the material and presentation format used had led to sequential coding. This was further explored by Experiments 9 and 10 which illustrated that while it may be important under certain conditions, sequentiality is not always a dominant element in coding within the Visuo-Spatial Sketch Pad. This thesis has explored two of the central issues currently interesting theorists of Working Memory and has put forward suggestions for techniques which may in the future help us to advance our knowledge of the visuo-spatial component of the Working Memory framework.
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Klyn, Niall Andre Munson. "Working Memory for Rhythm." The Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1324305411.
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Glas, Brittany Michelle. "Working Memory and Aphasia." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/144356.
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Tuthill, Frank. "The Effects of Working Memory Training and Encoding Strategy on Working Memory Capacity." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/638.
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Undergraduate students from California State University, San Bernardino were recruited to examine the effects of working memory training and encoding strategy upon working memory capacity. Participants will be prescreened for low working memory capacity, and then will be tested on a battery of complex span measures. Participants will be divided into several strategy conditions: rehearsal, visual, and control. Then participants will be tested on their verbal working memory both before and after the 20 session n-back working memory training program. Participants are predicted to do the same or worse with the strategy instruction before working memory training while they will improve after training in comparison to control groups. The effects of strategy and training upon working memory capacity were nonsignificant. However, the direction of group differences is consistent with the maximization of individual differences with strategy instruction while cognitive training minimizes individual differences.
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Eastwood, Adrienne E. "Memory or attention?, understanding working memory in children." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp05/NQ65235.pdf.
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Ioannou, Panagiotis. "Computational modelling of working memory." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2014. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.658622.
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Computational modelling empowers scientists to test hypotheses that they could not have done so otherwise, mainly because of the complexity of the system to be tested. In order to investigate particular postulates, computational neuroscientists build quantitative models of the central nervous system in great detail, and in different levels of organisation. In this thesis, by simulating morphologically reconstructed neurons and composing networks consisting of these neurons, we investigate and aim to bridge the gap between neuroscientific hypotheses and levels of organisation. All of our investigations fall under, but are not limited to, the working memory concept, a theoretical system designed to address the information processing in order to achieve cognition. To begin with, we investigate macroscopic neural oscillations as observed during working memory tasks. We show the criticality of inter-regional delay coupling effect on synchronisation phase-shift, and that near zero-lag synchronisation can be achieved via the M3 structural motif. After showing that spiking neurons can successfully model macroscopic phenomena, we focus on the microscopic level, where we simulate a number of interconnecting neurons and proceed to scrutinise their complex behaviour and the information processing capabilities they exhibit. Specifically, we explore the effect of spiking network parameters on polychronization and the sustainability of spikes based on short-term synaptic dynamics. We show that the models are extremely sensitive to neuronal parameters including type of connectivity, axonal delays, density and topology. In the end we investigate two contradicting theories of forgetting in short term memory: the temporal and the non-temporal approaches. We show that the sustained representation of memory cues highly depend on the size of their neuronal counterparts, and that both the temporal and the non temporal approaches can have a role to play in sustaining information, and that they do not necessarily contradict each other.
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Sanderson, Katherine Elizabeth. "Working memory efficacy and aging." Thesis, Northumbria University, 2006. http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/397/.
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The aim of this thesis is to examine the effects of age on visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSSP) slave system processes and central executive working memory processes within the context of the multicomponent working memory model originally proposed by Baddeley & Hitch (1974). Previous cognitive aging research has tended to use general measures of working memory and little evidence has examined the effects of age specifically within the context of the multicomponent model. A series of seven studies was undertaken utilising a quasi-experimental design. Data was collected from convenience samples of young and old adults for each study, using a range of tasks and measures designed to make demands on VSSP and central executive processes. Effects of age were examined independently of speed of processing and intelligence by using these as covariates in the statistical analysis. Data was analysed using a series of ANOVA and ANCOVA analyses. Findings indicated that old adults were equivalent to young adults in their performance on the VSSP slave system tasks. However they showed an impaired performance on some measures of central executive processing, but not others. In particular, older adults showed a decline in the executive processes of task switching, which cannot be explained by speed of processing; whereas other putative executive processes, such as inhibitory processes, did not show an age-related decline. Results indicated that the age-related decline in task switching at the specific switch point is only evident when the demands for active memory processing are high. An age-related decline in the ability to co-ordinate the two tasks during task switching was also evident, and this age difference was not dependent on the active memory demands. These findings suggest that there are a number of separable executive processes, not all of which decline with age. The findings are discussed in relation to models of cognitive aging and theoretical models of working memory.
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Robson, Adam Jago. "Analogical reasoning and working memory." Thesis, Durham University, 2012. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3625/.
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Analogical Reasoning (AR) is the ability to find a relationship between two objects that is not based on featural (attribute-based) similarities. As such, reasoning by analogy is thought to be crucial in learning and scientific discovery. Analogies have played an important role in the conceptualisation of both IQ (Spearman, 1927) and cognitive development (Piaget, Montangero & Billeter, 1977). Yet very little is understood regarding the component processes which underlie analogical thought. Recently, there has been a resurgent interest in the field: one brought about by modern computational methodologies which purport to model the cognitive architecture of analogical thinking. A prominent feature has been the introduction of capacity based processing constraints claimed to arise in the reasoning processes from limited Working Memory Capacity (WMC) resources (Halford, 1992, 1993, 1998; Hummel & Holyoak, 1997; Morrison, Doumas, & Richland, 2011; Richland, Morrison & Holyoak, 2004, 2006, 2010). Adopting a Working Memory (WM) perspective (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974; Baddeley 2000) the aim of this research is to investigate whether individual differences in WM mediate AR, as well as critically assessing the current theories of AR in relation to this. In chapter 1 the research behind AR-WM is reviewed with reference to modern interpretations of what analogy is and how it might be measured. In chapter 2 (Experiment 1), a flexible new scene-based measure of analogical ability, the Richland Picture Analogies (RPA; Richland, et al, 2004, 2006) is introduced, the data confirming effects of complexity and distraction hypothesized by Richland and her colleagues. Experiment 2 related performance on the RPA with quantitative measures of WM, concluding that IQ was related to relational responding in the RPA over and above that of WMC. Experiment 3 further explored the role of WM, observing an effect of processing/storage (WMC) but not storage (STS). In chapter 3, the role of WMC was further examined. Experiment 4 using a reaction time (RT) paradigm demonstrated that featural responding was unlikely to be a prepotent response, and instead related to conflict resolution. Experiment 5 adopted a dual-task methodology and attempted to explore the involvement of WMC under load in conditions of complexity and distraction. Unfortunately, the low level of variance proved an insurmountable problem. Experiment 6 examined Executive Functions (EFs) as a potential explanation for both IQ and WMC effects in the RPA. Overall, it is concluded that WM does indeed mediate analogical performance within the RPA, but that effects of relational-complexity, as suggested by Halford (1992, 1993, 1998) are not as evident as might have been supposed. Instead the data from Experiments 2-6 suggests that individual differences in processing efficiency as well as the ability to divide and control attention in novel circumstances may explain the variance in relation responding reported by Richland et al. (2004, 2006) and found in Experiment 1. It is hypothesized that one of the core aspects of AR is task relevance, the research concluding that other interpretations of how WM affects AR should be considered beyond the traditional theories.
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Wallis, George J. "Selection mechanisms for working memory." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:1a9be8d6-9f8e-49af-8185-8be4c890010f.
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The experiments in this thesis investigated the mechanisms controlling input and output gating of working memory. In chapter 3, accuracy and reaction time data from a precision/capacity working memory task with prospective and retrospective cues were analysed. The results suggest that retrocues boost performance by facilitating output gating from working memory. In chapter 4, the role of perceptual cortex in mediating the cue benefits in this task was investigated with magnetoencephalography (MEG). The pattern of alpha (8-12Hz) power in visual cortex was modulated by cue direction following both precues and retrocues, but whilst this modulation was sustained following a precue (until presentation of the memory array) it was transient following a retrocue, suggesting that a memory representation was briefly retrieved or refreshed, but that there was not a sustained biasing of top-down input to visual cortex following retrocues. This argues against the standard model of working memory as sustained attention to internal representations, and in favour of a more dynamic view in which perceptual cortex is recruited transiently, and otherwise freed up for on-going processing. In chapter 5, the role of frontal networks in precueing and retrocueing was investigated. An fMRI meta-analysis identified control networks involved in preparatory and mnemonic selection: whilst the fronto-parietal network is recruited in both cases, the cingulo-opercular network is recruited only by retrocues. This spatial pattern was replicated with a source-space ROI analysis of MEG induced-responses. These data also characterised the time-course of control network activation shedding light on their functional roles. The fronto-parietal network was activated immediately following both precues and retrocues, consistent with a direct role in top-down influence over perceptual cortex. By contrast, the cingulo-opercular network was activated following retrocues only after the perceptual refreshing event was complete, suggesting a downstream role, perhaps in selecting representations to guide action. Chapter 6 investigated the role of reward associations in controlling access to working memory, testing behavioural predictions of two theories implicating the dopamine system and basal ganglia in control of working memory. The results supported a temporal gating account in which encountering reward associated items triggers a brief (<300ms) window in which there is a boost of encoding for WM. Chapter 7 discusses the implications of the current work and suggests some future directions.
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Mok, Robert. "Working memory in healthy ageing." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:36594546-962e-4f81-ad91-589dcd96f029.
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This thesis is concerned with the age-related changes in working memory (WM), and the inter-individual differences in cognitive and neural mechanisms that correspond to healthy versus poor ageing of WM function. The first half of this thesis focusses on the age-related decline in WM and whether preserved top-down attentional control could mitigate such deficits. In Chapter 2, I present a functional MRI study showing that older adults reliably recruit brain networks that subserve cognitive control, which work in concert with the task relevant sensory areas during effective selective WM. In Chapter 3, I show that older adults retain flexible control over WM representations, and this ability corresponded to the reliable recruitment of neural signals of orienting attention qualitatively similar to those observed in younger adults. Magnetoencephalographic recordings showed that the neural dynamics during orienting attention within WM was predictive of good performance, demonstrating that the more efficient the process of orienting within WM to select the target item, the better the memory representation can be preserved for upcoming behaviour. In the second half of this thesis, I explored whether WM for affective content has a special status in healthy ageing. In Chapter 4, I developed an emotional WM precision task to measure WM abilities for emotional content appropriate for elderly adults. In Chapter 5, I tested a group of young and older adults on WM and perceptual-matching abilities for emotional faces. The results suggest that older adults show a general impairment in task performance, but possibly with some preservation in the ability to maintain emotional content in WM. There were marked differences in how the emotional information was processed between age groups, in which older adults have a tendency to represent negative stimuli as less negative than younger adults in perception and WM, and tended to show a positive interpretation of the valence of more ambiguous emotional stimuli. In Chapter 6, I summarise the findings presented in this thesis, discuss the implications of the key findings, and consider some suggestions for future studies that aim to elucidate the mechanisms of WM in healthy ageing.
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Katz, David P. "The Fractionation of Working Memory." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1559732086225506.
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Giofrè, David. "Geometry, working memory and intelligence." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Padova, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11577/3423374.
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Geometry is a fundamental part of mathematical learning. Since ancient time the study of geometry was considered as one of the most important subjects in school. In the arcade of the famous school of Athens, where Plato taught, it was written that entry was not permitted to people who did not know geometry. In the Renaissance period, geometry was part of the 'quadrivium', which was considered a needed work preparatory for a serious study of philosophy. Nevertheless, despite geometry is one of the main areas of mathematical learning, the cognitive processes underlying geometry-related academic achievement have not been studied in detail.
The present dissertation has three important aims. First, to investigate the relationship between various aspects of geometry and visuospatial working memory (VSWM). Second, to investigate whether the children with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) symptoms present difficulties in various aspects of geometry. Third, to investigate the relationship between various aspect of geometry, working memory (WM) and intelligence (g).
In the second chapter, a general overview of the relationship between geometry, WM and g is provided. Since geometry concerns the study of the space, it requires a particular involvement of spatial abilities. Thus, WM, and in particular VSWM should be crucially involved. In addition, solving geometrical problems requires to reason and to find out a solution among various alternatives. Thus, g should be crucially involved in solving geometrical problems.
In the third chapter, the relationship between academic achievement in geometry, intuitive geometry (i.e., a part of geometry which seems to be independent from the culture), and VSWM will be examined. Two studies will be presented.
In the first study, the involvement of VSWM in intuitive geometry and in school performance in geometry at secondary school was tested. A total of 166 pupils were administered: (1) six VSWM tasks, comprising simple storage and complex span tasks; (2) the intuitive geometry task devised by Dehaene, Izard, Pica, and Spelke (2006), which distinguishes between core, presumably independent form the culture, and culturally-mediated principles of geometry; and (3) a task measuring academic achievement in geometry.
In the second study, VSWM and intuitive geometry were examined in two groups aged 1113; one with children displaying symptoms of NLD, and the other, a control group without learning disabilities. The two groups were matched for general verbal abilities, age, gender, and socioeconomic level. The children were presented with simple storage and complex-span tasks involving VSWM and with the intuitive geometry task devised by Dehaene and colleagues (Dehaene et al., 2006).
In the fourth chapter, we report a study on the relationship between geometry, WM, and intelligence aimed to find out the model of WM which provided the best fit to the data and to examine the strength of the relations between WM and intelligence (part I) and the relationship between geometry (intuitive geometry and geometrical achievement), WM and g testing several models (part II).
In the last chapter a general overview of the important theoretical and applied implications of the three studies will be discussed. The limits of the present dissertation and possible future researches will also be outlinedLo studio della geometria è una parte fondamentale dell’apprendimento matematico ed ha una storia antica. Basti pensare come, ai tempi i cui Platone insegnava, l’ingresso nella scuola di Atene era proibito a coloro che non conoscevano la geometria. La geometria, inoltre, in epoca rinascimentale, faceva parte del ‘quadrivium’, ed era considerata uno studio necessario per intraprendere gli studi di filosofia. A dispetto dell’importanza che la geometria ha avuto nel passato, i processi cognitivi che sono alla base della geometria non sono ancora stati studiati in maniera dettagliata. Il presente lavoro di tesi si propone tre obiettivi. Primo, indagare la relazione tra vari aspetti della geometria e la memoria di lavoro visuospaziale (VSWM). Secondo, verificare se ragazzi con sindrome non verbale (NLD) presentino difficoltà in vari aspetti della geometria. Terzo, investigare la relazione tra vari aspetti della geometria, la memoria di lavoro (WM) e l’intelligenza (g). Nel secondo capitolo, viene fornita una panoramica sulla relazione tra geometria, WM e g. Dato che la geometria riguarda lo studio dello spazio, essa richiede un coinvolgimento attivo delle abilità spaziali. La WM, ed in particolare la VSWM, inoltre, sono coinvolte in maniera attiva in compiti geometrici. Risolvere problemi geometrici, in aggiunta, richiede di ragionare sul problema e trovare una soluzione tra le tante alternative possibili. Per questa ragione, l’intelligenza (g), è coinvolta in maniera attiva nella soluzione di problemi geometrici. Nel terzo capitolo, viene discussa la relazione tra geometria intuitiva (quella parte della geometria che sembra essere indipendente dalla cultura), geometria scolastica (la geometria che viene insegnata a scuola) e la VSWM. Vengono presentati due studi. Nel primo studio, è stata svolta una ricerca su 166 ragazzi frequentanti gli ultimi due anni della scuola secondaria di secondo grado. Lo studio prevedeva la presentazione di: 1) sei prove di VSWM, .2) una prova di geometria intuitiva (suddivisa in due parti: riguardanti principi core e mediati dalla cultura) 3) una prova di geometria scolastica. Dai risultati emerge come due prove di VSWM sono relate ad aspetti geometrici mediati dalla cultura i quali, insieme con principi ‘core’, che si pensa siano indipendenti dalla cultura, spiegano una porzione significativa di varianza delle prove di scolastica (14%). Nel secondo studio, la relazione tra VSWM e geometria (intuitiva e scolastica) è stata studiata considerando partecipanti con sintomi non verbali (NLD; i quali hanno problemi con prove spaziali, ma non con prove verbali). Lo studio ha preso in considerazione 16 partecipanti con NLD e 16 partecipanti appartenenti al gruppo di controllo. Dai risultati emerge come partecipanti con NLD cadano: i) in prove di geometria intuitiva (in aspetti ‘core’ e mediati dalla cultura), ii) in prove di geometria scolastica. partecipanti con NLD, inoltre, cadono anche in prove di VSWM. I risultati della ‘discriminant function analysis’, infine, confermano come prove di VSWM e geometriche siano importanti nel discriminare sintomi di NLD. Nel quarto capitolo, viene discussa la relazione tra geometria, memoria di lavoro e intelligenza . Nella prima parte dello studio viene analizzata la relazione tra WM e il fattore g. In un primo momento sono stati valutati diversi modelli di WM e il modello tripartito di Baddeley e Hitch (1974) è risultato essere quello che meglio si approssima ai dati (miglior fit). In un secondo momento, abbiamo analizzato la relazione tra il modello tripartito e il fattore g. L’analisi dimostra come due componenti della memoria di lavoro (memoria a breve termine verbale e memoria di lavoro) spighino una porzione consistente della varianza di g (65%). Nella seconda parte dello studio, vengono confrontati vari modelli concorrenti sulla relazione tra vari aspetti della geometria (intuitiva e scolastica), WM e g. Il modello con il migliore adattamento ai dati mostra come WM, con la mediazione del fattore g, spieghi una quota significativa di varianza della geometria scolastica e della geometria intuitiva. In aggiunta, i risultati dimostrano come una quota significativa di varianza sia condivisa tra il fattore generale e la geometria intuitiva. Nel quinto capitolo, viene presentata una panoramica generale degli studi presentati. Vengono, inoltre, evidenziati i limiti degli studi e i possibili sviluppi per studi futuri
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Ivarsson, Magnus, and Stefan Strohmayer. "Working memory training improves arithmetic skills and verbal working memory capacity in children with ADHD." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Psykologiska institutionen, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-49618.
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Children with ADHD diagnosis often display working memory deficits, as well as reading and mathematical disabilities. Previous studies have demonstrated that computerized working memory training (WMT) is a promising intervention. The present study aimed at exploring the effects of WMT on working memory, scholastic skills and behavioral symptoms in children with ADHD. Thirty-two children, aged 6 to 11, were randomized to WMT or a control condition. WMT consisted of nine tasks taxing working memory with adaptive difficulty level. All children trained in their homes, with their parents acting as supervisors. Children who completed more than 20 days of training in 5-8 weeks (8 in the WMT condition and 13 in the control condition) were considered compliers. Assessments were conducted before and after intervention. Results indicated that WMT lead to significant gains of verbal working memory and arithmetic skills. More research is needed to further investigate the effects of WMT.
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Stone, James Michael. "How does practice affect working memory? : the efficacy of adaptive-difficulty working memory training programs." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2015. http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/85682/.
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Working memory refers to a mental ’workbench’ whereby new or goal relevant information is held in a readily accessible state in order to achieve success with cognitive problems. Working memory has been shown to be relevant to individual differences in many aspect of cognition including fluid intelligence, while also identified as a core deficit in cognitive developmental disorders. Therefore the possibility that working memory capacity is trainable, and that such interventions produce generalisable cognitive benefits is highly noteworthy. Following these initial claims from early studies using an adaptive working memory training intervention, commercial products have been developed and marketed, based on the premise that working memory can indeed be trained and lead to transfer to a wider range of cognitive abilities. A close examination of the literature suggests that these claims are based on a combination of mixed generalisable results and often a lack of evidence for genuine working memory improvement. In some examples the analyses testing for working memory improvement fail to show such effects while in others the chosen assessment tasks are too similar to the trained tasks to be evidence for general working memory improvement. The potential for improved fluid intelligence and amelioration of deficits leading to developmental issues due to a working memory training intervention is of clear practical importance. However, for such arguments to be made convincingly it is of critical importance that there is increased understanding of the effects of working memory training on the construct itself. Thus far the effects seen in the literature have not proved to be robust and therefore the mechanisms of any proposed effect need to be examined to illuminate the conceptual and empirical benefits of such training interventions, whilst also establishing their robustness and reliability. In addition, there is reason to believe that tighter methodological designs are needed to make the domain more credible with particular emphasis on suitable active control groups. Therefore this thesis pursued a series of studies assessing the efficacy of adaptive difficulty WM training interventions with an emphasis on the impact on the working memory construct (near-transfer). Thus, the assessment of potential improvements in working memory formed the core analyses within this thesis. Therefore, in addition to the three working memory training studies, this thesis will also addressed various methods of assessing working memory performance from typical behavioural assessments, so as to inform the methods utilised in the pre-post changes in the training studies. This was achieved by means of analysing alternative scoring methods, assessment protocols, and modelling the difficulty of different list length trials using a Rasch model in working memory tasks. Each training study utilised a randomised pre-post (experiment one also incorporated a follow-up phase) intervention design where the control group completed a demanding regime of tasks with minimal stress on working memory. In each experiment participants completed a battery of tasks prior to the onset of the training phase that lasted 5-6 weeks. During the training phase an intervention group would complete the specified training regime while an active control group would complete different tasks. Following the conclusion of the training phase the initial battery of tasks was re-administered (experiment one also incorporated a follow-up phase). Additionally, all software used was developed specifically for this project including control group tasks therefore maintaining consistency in the ’look and feel’ between the two groups. In experiment one (N = 55) an intervention using a variety of working memory based tasks (Working Memory Period, Memory Updating, Colour Corsi, and Stroop) was assessed and compared with an active control intervention in children aged 9-10. No improvements were found in the individual tasks measuring verbal and visuo-spatial working memory, nor were there training effects. In experiment two (N = 76) children aged 9-11 participated in three working memory interventions with each consisting of a single task (Working Memory Period, Colour Corsi, and N-Back). No improvements were seen in any training group beyond what was also seen in an active control group in composite measures of verbal and visuo-spatial working memory, or processing speed. A final working memory training experiment (N = 55) replicated the results from experiment two (Dual N-Back replacing standard N-Back) using a sample of healthy adults. These data suggest, in typically developing children and adults, that adaptive working memory training interventions may not improve working memory functions. These results cast doubt on the potential for such interventions to produce improved performance in a wider range of higher order cognitive abilities. Potential reasons for the existence of a number of positive results in the literature are considered including ineffective controls, publication bias, and potential false positives as a consequence of multiple comparisons - with regards the number of tasks used in a pre-post battery in addition to the number of measures one can extract from each task compounded by the possibility of analysing these data using multiple methods.
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Roome, Hannah. "The accessibility of memory items in children's working memory." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2016. http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/80979/.
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This thesis investigates the processes and systems that support recall in working memory. In particular it seeks to apply ideas from the adult-based dual-memory framework (Unsworth & Engle, 2007b) that claims primary memory and secondary memory are independent contributors to working memory capacity. These two memory systems are described as domain-general processes that combine control of attention and basic memory abilities to retain information. The empirical contribution comprises five experiments that specify how adults and children access, manage and report memory representations held in working memory. They provide a developmental perspective of the characteristics of these cognitive constructs. This thesis has combined traditional measures of primary and secondary memory (free recall) and methods used to classify individuals recall into the two independent systems, with new convergent paradigms in order to identify developmental trajectories of memory performance. The findings point towards qualitative and quantitative differences between how adults and children focus their recall from working memory. Primary and secondary memory capacities increase across childhood, but they seemingly develop at different rates. Between the ages of five- to ten-years children are reliant on the active maintenance of memory items within immediate memory, as controlled search and retrieval processes were far more demanding on children’s cognitive system. However, they did benefit from structured recall support and self-driven search processes, facilitating secondary memory. In addition, the experiments emphasised the impact of presentation modality on recall characteristics that are likely to be observed, and the susceptibility of information loss. Whilst auditory information reveals itself as highly accessible, it is also vulnerable to displacement and interference. In contrast visual representations appear to be more robust. Overall, the thesis will discuss the conceptual and empirical implications of whether the dual memory framework can help understand how working memory develops.
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Braasch, Marie Y. "The Effects of Age and Working Memory Ability on Frontal Lobe Oxygenation During Working Memory Tasks." Ohio University Honors Tutorial College / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1275937579.
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Gaunt, Joshua T. "Microsaccades and visual-spatial working memory /." Diss., Digital Dissertations Database. Restricted to UC campuses, 2009. http://uclibs.org/PID/11984.
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Wesenick, Maria-Barbara. "Limitations of Human Visual Working Memory." Diss., lmu, 2004. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-18677.
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Vockenberg, Kerstin. "Updating of representations in working memory." Phd thesis, kostenfrei, 2006. http://opus.kobv.de/ubp/volltexte/2007/1176/.
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Westerberg, Helena. "Working memory : development, disorders and training /." Stockholm, 2004. http://diss.kib.ki.se/2004/91-7349-881-5/.
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Payne, Tabitha W. "Working memory capacity and pitch discrimination." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/28831.
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Wilsch, Anna. "Neural oscillations in auditory working memory." Doctoral thesis, Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, 2015. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa-177313.
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The present thesis investigated memory load and memory decay in auditory working memory. Alpha power as a marker for memory load served as the primary indicator for load and decay fluctuations hypothetically reflecting functional inhibition of irrelevant information. Memory load was induced by presenting auditory signals (syllables and pure-tone sequences) in noise because speech-in-noise has been shown before to increase memory load. The aim of the thesis was to assess with magnetoencephalography whether a-priori temporal expectations for the onset-time of a to-be-remembered stimulus reduces memory load. It was reported previously that top-down modulations such as spatial expectations reduce memory load and improve memory performance. However, this effect has neither been investigated with temporal expectations nor in the auditory domain. The present thesis showed that temporal expectations for a syllable in noise reduced memory load. Reduced alpha power during stimulus maintenance as well as
improved performance indicated the decrease in memory load. Alpha power effects emerged from the right cingulo-opercular network, presumably reflecting a reduced need for functional inhibition. Critically, symbolic cues induced temporal expectations. This effect could not be replicated for clear speech. However, more implicit temporal expectations based on the passage of time elicited a similar decrease in alpha power for clear speech reflecting reduced memory load. Memory decay was assessed with variable delay phases in an auditory sensory memory task with pure-tone sequences. Similarly to memory performance, alpha power decreased with longer delay phases. Critically, temporal expectations counteracted memory decay and led to more sustained performance as well as alpha power across different delay phases. These alpha-power effects were localized to frontal and parietal attention networks as well as primary auditory and visual sensory areas. This implies the involvement of different brain regions relevant
for encoding and maintenance in auditory memory and questions a parsimonious functional inhibition explanation. A correlation of alpha power and behavioral performance underpinned the importance of alpha power for auditory working memory. Altogether, the results of the present thesis provide evidence for a beneficial effect of a-priori temporal expectations for an auditory signal on working memory. Moreover, alpha dynamics were shown to be a distinct marker for the neural efficiency of managing working memory limitations.
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Terrence, Peter. "TACTILE WORKING MEMORY AND MULTIMODAL LOADING." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2008. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3584.
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This work explored the role of spatial grouping, set size, and stimulus probe modality using a recall task for visual, auditory, and tactile information. The effects of different working memory (WM) loading task modalities were also examined. The Gestalt spatial organizing principle of grouping showed improvements in response times for visual and tactile stimulus probes with large set sizes and apparently allowed participants to effectively chunk the information. This research suggests that tactile information may use spatial characteristics typically associated with visual information, as well as sequential characteristics normally associated with verbal information. Based on these results, a reformulation of WM is warranted to remove the constraints of the input modality on processing types. The input modalities appear to access both a spatial sketchpad and a temporally-based sequence loop. Implications for multisensory research and display design are discussed.Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Sciences
Psychology PhD
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Holmes, Joni. "Working memory and children's mathematical skills." Thesis, Durham University, 2005. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2205/.
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Previous studies which examined the relationship between working memory (WM) ability and children's mathematics performance typically measured mathematics ability as a general skill (e.g. Gathercole & Pickering, 2000a) or mental arithmetic ability (e.g. Adams & Hitch, 1997), used number- or digit-based WM assessments and did not control for individual differences in a child's general ability (e.g. intelligence). The aim of this thesis was to extend this research to investigate the associations between the components of the tripartite WM model (e.g. Baddeley, 1986) and a range of mathematical skills in 7-/8- and 9-/10-year-olds using non-digit- based WM assessments, controlling for a measure of general ability. The relationship between WM ability and children's curriculum-based mathematics performance was investigated using a correlational design in Chapters 3 and 4. Assessments, developed in Chapter 2, were used to measure four mathematical skills outlined in the National Curriculum for England. The results indicated that central executive and visuo-spatial sketchpad, but not phonological loop, scores predicted unique variance in performance across all four mathematical skills, even when controlling for NVIQ. Furthermore, both WM abilities were found to predict Key Stage 2 mathematics achievement one year after initial testing (Chapter 8).The same methodology was used in Chapters 6 and 7 to explore the relationship between WM ability and children's performance-related mathematics abilities (see chapter 5). All three components of WM predicted unique variance in these mathematical skills, but a markedly distinct pattern of associations was revealed between the two age groups. In particular, the data implicated a stronger role for the visuo-spatial sketchpad in the younger children's mathematics. The role of visuo-spatial WM in children's mathematics was explored further in Chapter 9 where a discrepancy definition was applied to identify children with poor mathematics or poor visuo-spatial abilities. The data provided an initial indication that normal visuo-spatial sketchpad development may be important for normal mathematics development. The overarching conclusion is that WM, and the central executive and visuo- spatial sketchpad in particular, may support the development of early mathematical ability. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are considered.
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Brady, Timothy F. "Structured representations in visual working memory." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68420.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 177-195).
How much visual information can we hold in mind at once? A large body of research has attempted to quantify the capacity of visual working memory by focusing on how many individual objects or visual features can be actively maintained in memory. This thesis presents a novel theoretical framework for understanding working memory capacity, suggesting that our memory representations are complex and structured even for simple visual displays, and formalizing such structured representations is necessary to understand the architecture and capacity of visual working memory. Chapter 1 reviews previous empirical research on visual working memory capacity, and argues that an understanding of memory capacity requires moving beyond quantifying how many items people can remember and instead focusing on the content of our memory representations. Chapter 2 argues for structured memory representations by demonstrating that we encode a summary of all of the items on a display in addition to information about particular items, and use both item and summary information to complete working memory tasks. Chapter 3 describes a computational model that formalizes the roles of perceptual organization and the encoding of summary statistics in visual working memory, and provides a way to quantify capacity even in the presence of richer, more structured memory representations. This formal framework predicts how well observers will be able to remember individual working memory displays, rather than focusing on average performance across many displays. Chapter 4 uses information theory to examine visual working memory through the framework of compression, and demonstrates that introducing regularities between items allows us to encode more colors in visual working memory. Thus, working memory capacity needs to be understood by taking into account learned knowledge, rather than simply focusing on the number of items to be remembered. Together, this research suggests that visual working memory capacity is best characterized by structured representations where prior knowledge influences how much can be stored and displays are encoded at multiple levels of abstraction.
by Timothy F. Brady.
Ph.D.
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Möbius, Peter. "Working memory and second language comprehension." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.621230.
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Gamsby, Christopher William. "Working Memory Updating using Meaningful Trigraphs." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1459339645.
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Kniele, Kathryn Kloss Jacqueline D. "Emotional expressivity and working memory capacity /." Philadelphia, Pa. : Drexel University, 2004. http://dspace.library.drexel.edu/handle/1860/399.
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Souza, Amarildo Lemes de. "Working memory and L2 vocabulary learning." reponame:Repositório Institucional da UFSC, 2015. https://repositorio.ufsc.br/xmlui/handle/123456789/160546.
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Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários, Florianópolis, 2015.Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-15T13:14:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 337911.pdf: 3308843 bytes, checksum: faac5426183647e8e4b2324f2b9d50a6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015
Abstract : Among the cognitive systems that underlie learning and use of a secondlanguage (L2), working memory emerges as one of the most studied andinfluential over the past 35 years (Dehn, 2011). Working memory is thesystem responsible for temporary storage and processing of informationduring the performance of complex activities such as languagecomprehension, learning and reasoning (Baddeley & Logie, 1999). Thepresent study investigates the influence of working memory capacity(Baddeley & Hitch, 1974) in L2 vocabulary learning in 24 younglearners aged 11-14 years attending the 6th grade of elementary school.The method used was quasi-experimental and mainly quantitative andcorrelational. The first stage of the study consisted of the assessment ofparticipants? working memory capacity through the Automated WorkingMemory Assessment - AWMA (Alloway, 2007) and assessment ofvocabulary knowledge through a pre-test in English as an L2. Thesecond stage of the study consisted of an intervention for explicitinstruction of 10 lexical items in the L2. The third and final stageconsisted of an immediate post-test to evaluate the retention of thelexical items which were the object of instruction. The results indicatedstatistically significant correlations between verbal working memory?sperformance vocabulary post-tests, showing that individuals withaverage or high performance on verbal working memory tests presentedbetter performance in recalling vocabulary words than individuals withlow verbal working memory performance. This suggests that verbalworking memory does in fact influence the acquisition of L2 vocabularyby young learners. These results are discussed in the light of Baddeley'sworking memory model (Baddeley, 2012).
Entre os sistemas cognitivos que fundamentam a aprendizagem e uso de uma língua segunda língua (L2), a memória de trabalho figura como um dos mais influentes e estudados dos últimos 35 anos (Dehn, 2011). Este é um sistema responsável pelo armazenamento e processamento temporário de informações durante a realização de atividades complexas tais como a compreensão da linguagem, a aprendizagem e o raciocínio (Baddeley & Logie, 1999). O presente estudo investiga a influência da capacidade de memória de trabalho (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974) na aprendizagem de vocabulário em segunda língua (L2) em 24 crianças na faixa etária de 11 a 14 anos, cursando o 6o ano do ensino fundamental. O método usado foi quase-experimental e predominantemente quantitativo e correlacional. A primeira etapa do estudo consistiu na avaliação da capacidade de memória de trabalho dos participantes por meio do Automated Working Memory Assessment  AWMA (Alloway, 2007) e de um pré-teste de vocabulário em inglês como L2. A segunda etapa do estudo consistiu de uma intervenção para instrução explícita de 10 itens lexicais na LE. A terceira e última etapa consistiu em um pósteste imediato para avaliação da retenção dos itens lexicais objeto de instrução. Os resultados obtidos indicaram uma correlação estatisticamente significativa entre o desempenho da memória de trabalho verbal e os pós-testes de vocabulário, indicando que indivíduos com melhor desempenho da memória de trabalho verbal apresentaram melhor desempenho na memorização de palavras do vocabulário do que indivíduos com baixo desempenho da memória de trabalho verbal. Isto sugere que a memória de trabalho verbal de fato influencia a aprendizagem de vocabulário em L2 por crianças. Estes resultados são discutidos à luz do modelo de memória de trabalho de Baddeley (BADDELEY, 2012).
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Fried, Peter Jacob. "Functional asymmetries in human working memory." Thesis, Boston University, 2013. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/10997.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityWorking memory is the cognitive ability to maintain and manipulate information in mind to guide behavior. This relies on the coordinated activity of a bilateral brain network, which has been modeled as a central executive in control of separate storage systems for verbal and spatial information. Evidence from human and nonhuman primate research demonstrates that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is critical for manipulating information in working memory. However, whether the dlPFC is dissociable by the domain of information remains unsettled. Recent human studies using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) suggest the left and right dlPFC may play separable roles in manipulating verbal and spatial information. In the present study, this theory was investigated further with two experiments on healthy right-handed adults. Both experiments utilized the 3-back task of visual working memory with letters and locations serving as verbal and spatial stimuli, respectively. In Experiment 1, tasks were administered during functional neuroimaging in two formats: one using centrally-presented single letters as verbal stimuli, and dots in different locations as spatial stimuli; and another using single letters in different locations for both verbal and spatial tasks. At the whole-brain group-level, letter- and location-specific contrasts did not differ between formats, indicating verbal/spatial differences reflected discrete subsystems in working memory and not simply separate perceptual processing. Nevertheless, in the dlPFC, bilateral activity was observed across versions, suggesting its contributions to working memory are domain-independent. Experiment 2 tested whether this relationship was causal by assessing 3-back performance after applying low-frequency rTMS to the dlPFC. Following rTMS of the right dlPFC, accuracy improved on the letter task, but worsened on the location task, while the opposite was observed after left rTMS. These double-dissociations suggest left and right dlPFC operate as competing subsystems for manipulating verbal and spatial information, respectively. Thus, the observation of equivalent bilateral dlPFC activity during the letter and location tasks might reflect a left-lateralized system for verbally-encoded information and a right-lateralized system for nonverbal representations operating in parallel on all stimuli. Such a functional asymmetry would have implications for therapies aimed at ameliorating working memory impairments in disease and even normal aging.
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Threadgold, Emma. "The relationship between processing and memory in working memory development." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.656860.
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Working memory is the ability to simultaneously process and store information (Baddeley, 1986). Complex span tasks, such as reading span, are a widely used paradigm to investigate working memory recall (Daneman & Carpenter, 1980). This thesis presents six experiments that investigate processing and memory relationships in children and adults complex span performance. Experiments 1 to 3 found processing speed significantly influences children's recall in a reading, operation and listening; span task. Evidence is provided for a developmental shift in the importance of processing speed in reading span performance between aged 8- to 14-years-old. However, processing speed is shown to be less important for adults 11' retention in complex span tasks. Furthermore, profiles in the relationship between processing speed and memory are demonstrated to differ according to the type of complex span task, and the relationship between the content of processing and memory. The relationship between the content of processing and memory, influences both children's and adults recall in a complex span task. Memoranda items integrated to the processed element (for example retention of the final word of the processed sentence) are subject to enhanced recall over items independent to the processing. This is demonstrated to be superior in a lexical based span task (reading span) over a non-lexical based span task (operation span). However, mixed evidence is provided in Experiments 2 and 3 for enhanced recall under circumstances in which the memoranda items are semantically associated to the processing. Experiments 4, 5 and 6 investigate the role of pro active interference in complex span task performance. A build up and release of PI is demonstrated in an operation span task, highlighting that inhibition of interference is likely to be a further important factor in complex span task performance.
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Morey, Candice Coker. "Maintaining cross-domain objects and features in working memory implications for storage in models of working memory /." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/4889.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on February 26, 2008) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Carter, Carole. "Children's working memory and academic achievement : the relationship between visuo-spatial working memory and progress in arithmetic." Thesis, University of Sunderland, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.393052.
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Sevey, Brittany Christine. "Mathematics anxiety, working memory, and mathematics performance: Effectiveness of a working memory intervention on reducing mathematics anxiety." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1302371469.
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Smith-Spark, James Hugo. "Memory in adult dyslexics : an exploration of the working memory system." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.434725.
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Click, Ivy A., S. K. Thacker, BK S. Beale, G. D. Frye, and Russell W. Brown. "Mecamylamine Blocks Nicotine’s Enhancement of Reference Memory but Not Working Memory." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2002. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6423.
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Sahu, Aparna A. "The Roles of Individual Differences and Working Memory in Episodic Memory." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1365166387.
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Niese, Adam Trent. "The Relationship between visual working memory and visual long-term memory." Diss., University of Iowa, 2008. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/210.
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This dissertation evaluated whether Visual Working Memory (VWM) is a distinct memory system or if it is an activated state of Visual Long Term Memory (VLTM). These two positions suggest different roles for VLTM representations in the performance of VWM. If VWM representations are an activated state of VLTM representations, it seems plausible that strong VLTM representations should facilitate VWM performance. However, if the two representations are actually distinct, it seems less likely that a facilitation interaction between VLTM and VWM representations should be observed.
Five experiments were conducted in which participants learned a set of trained stimuli over two days of training. Participant performance with the trained stimuli was compared to performance with novel stimuli on a subsequent VWM change detection task to determine the plausibility of VLTM-VWM interactions.
The first and second experiments revealed a LTM facilitation effect that could not be explained by priming, but the third experiment suggested that this facilitation effect was mediated by non-visual representations. The fourth and fifth experiments parceled out the contributions of non-visual memory representations, and failed to demonstrate any evidence of VLTM-VWM performance interactions.
These results, in conjunction with other examples from the literature, all converged on the conclusion that VLTM-VWM facilitation interactions are relatively implausible. As such, it was concluded that VWM and VLTM representations are discreet.
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Smith, Lauren M. "Rumination, negative affect and working memory| Does rumination moderate the relationship between negative affect induction and working memory?" Thesis, Seattle Pacific University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3593597.
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Depression affects about 20% of the U.S. population at some point in their lifespan (Gotlib & Hammen, 2002). One symptom of depression is impairment in cognitive functioning. Extensive research has previously identified a link between depressed mood and memory difficulties (Burt, Zembar, & Niederehe, 1995; O'Conner, Pollitt, Roth, Brook, & Reiss, 1990; Watkins & Teasdale, 2004). The purpose of the current study is to better understand the relationship between negative affect and memory impairment. I hypothesized that rumination would moderate the relationship between negative affect and working memory such that individuals who respond to negative affect with rumination would be particularly likely to show impairment in working memory. This was a single time point study in which participants were randomly assigned to one of two possible conditions. In each condition, participants were given a stressor task, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT). This was followed by either failure feedback or success feedback. 146 undergraduate students, ages 18 to 30 were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. The sample was approximately 79% female and 78% Caucasian and had a mean age of 18.77 (SD = 1.36). Participants completed measures of current depressive symptoms, trait rumination, affective state pre and post stressor task, and working memory. This study's findings lend support to previous research in that these results yielded a significant main effect of both the failure condition (F (1, 143) = 124.20, p = .00, partial &eegr; 2 = .47) and self-reported negative mood (F (3, 145) = 14.59, p = .00, R2 = .22) on lower working memory scores. Greater rumination appeared to have a main effect of lower working memory scores (F (2, 139) = 12.59, p = .00, partial &eegr;2 = .15) with rumination accounting for approximately 4% of the difference in working memory scores. However, results did not find support for a moderated model (F (2, 139) = .02, p = .98, partial &eegr;2 = .00). Although negative affect and rumination predicted working memory scores, rumination did not moderate the relationship suggesting that a different model may explain the cognitive effects of depression.
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Pertab, Jon Leroy. "The Neural Systems of Working Memory: The Sternberg Working Memory Task in a Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Sample." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2010. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2520.
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Working memory tasks are associated with the activation of widely distributed neural networks. The Sternberg working memory task has been used to explore the neural correlates associated with changes in memory load and the resolution of interference. Preliminary research suggests that the integrity of the anterior cingulate is correlated with resolving load adjustments but not in resolving interference demands; the opposite pattern of associations have been observed with the right middle frontal gyrus.Participants in the present study were 28 children who had sustained moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and 28 children who had sustained orthopedic injuries (OI). Participants were aged between 7 and 17 years at the time of injury (mean age = 13.2, s.d.=2.3). The groups were matched on age, gender, socioeconomic level, and pre-injury measures of behavioral and emotional functioning. Participants completed the Sternberg working memory task and structural MRI scans three months post injury. Automated brain parcellation software (Freesurfer) was used to calculate volumetric data for regions of interest. Regions of interest included the anterior cingulate and right middle frontal gyrus; additionally, the volume of the corpus callosum was used as an index of overall brain integrity. There were no significant differences between the groups on percent errors on the Sternberg task. Participants in the TBI group had significantly longer reaction times overall than the OI group. Interference in the Sternberg task has the potential to either help or hinder performance. Participants in the OI group displayed the anticipated effects of interference on reaction time whereas the TBI group as a whole did not display this pattern (priming effect not observed). The TBI group had significantly lower volumes in the regions of interest than the OI group. Hypothesized correlations between the regions of interest and changes in load / interference demands were partially supported. Exploratory analyses identified positive correlations between the volume of the right middle frontal gyrus and reaction time measures that warrant further exploration.
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Harrison, Tyler Leland. "The role of working memory capacity and fluid intelligence in the organization of memory." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/53115.
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One of the best ways to increase memory performance on a task is to organize the to-be-remembered material (Postman, 1972). Throughout a number of experiments, the amount a subject organizes a list of words has been shown to be related to their overall recall performance (e.g., Mandler & Pearlstone, 1966). However, few studies have investigated whether other cognitive abilities are related to the organization of memory and whether these other abilities contribute to the relationship between organization and memory performance. In the present study subjects completed four sets of multitrial free recall and the consistency in which subjects recalled words (a measure of organization) was compared to performance on multiple measures of working memory capacity and fluid intelligence. I show that working memory capacity is related to the organization of memory particularly when subjects were told to use an organizational strategy and that fluid intelligence is related to organization regardless of strategy. Additionally, both working memory capacity and organization predict unique variance in immediate free recall performance.
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Lin, Mingkuan. "Genetic association study of spatial working memory." Fairfax, VA : George Mason University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1920/4591.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--George Mason University, 2009.Vita: p. 120. Thesis director: Karl J. Fryxell. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 12, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-119). Also issued in print.
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Karakuyu, Dilek. "Dopaminergic and serotonergic modulation of working memory." [S.l.] : [s.n.], 2003. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=970180993.
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Barbosa, João Moura. "Neural network mechanisms of working memory interference." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/669202.
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Our ability to memorize is at the core of our cognitive abilities. How could we effectively make decisions without considering memories of previous experiences? Broadly, our memories can be divided in two categories: long-term and short-term memories. Sometimes, short-term memory is also called working memory and throughout this thesis I will use both terms interchangeably. As the names suggest, long-term memory is the memory you use when you remember concepts for a long time, such as your name or age, while short-term memory is the system you engage while choosing between different wines at the liquor store. As your attention jumps from one bottle to another, you need to hold in memory characteristics of previous ones to pick your favourite. By the time you pick your favourite bottle, you might remember the prices or grape types of the other bottles, but you are likely to forget all of those details an hour later at home, opening the wine in front of your guests.
The overall goal of this thesis is to study the neural mechanisms that underlie working memory interference, as reflected in quantitative, systematic behavioral biases. Ultimately, the goal of each chapter, even when focused exclusively on behavioral experiments, is to nail down plausible neural mechanisms that can produce specific behavioral and neurophysiological findings. To this end, we use the bump-attractor model as our working hypothesis, with which we often contrast the synaptic working memory model. The work performed during this thesis is described here in 3 main chapters, encapsulation 5 broad goals:
In Chapter 4.1, we aim at testing behavioral predictions of a bump-attractor (1) network when used to store multiple items. Moreover, we connected two of such networks aiming to model feature-binding through selectivity synchronization (2).
In Chapter 4.2, we aim to clarify the mechanisms of working memory interference from previous memories (3), the so-called serial biases. These biases provide an excellent opportunity to contrast activity-based and activity-silent mechanisms because both mechanisms have been proposed to be the underlying cause of those biases.
In Chapter 4.3, armed with the same techniques used to seek evidence for activity-silent mechanisms, we test a prediction of the bump-attractor model with short-term plasticity (4). Finally, in light of the results from aim 4 and simple computer simulations, we reinterpret previous studies claiming evidence for activity-silent mechanisms (5).
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Gozenman, Filiz. "Interaction Of Probability Learning And Working Memory." Master's thesis, METU, 2012. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12614535/index.pdf.
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Probability learning is the ability to establish a relationship between stimulus and outcomes based on occurrence probabilities using repetitive feedbacks. Participants learn the task according to the cue-outcome relationship, and try to gain in depth understanding of this relationship throughout the experiment. While learning is at the highest level, people rely on their working memory. In this study 20 participants were presented a probability learning task, and their prefrontal cortex activity was measured with functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. It was hypothesized that as participants gain more knowledge of the probabilities they will learn cue-outcome relationships and therefore rely less on their working memory. Therefore as learning precedes a drop in the fNIRS signal is expected. We obtained results confirming our hypothesis: Significant negative correlation between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity and learning was found. Similarly, response time also decreased through the task, indicating that as learning precedes participants made decisions faster. Participants used either the frequency matching or the maximization strategy in order to solve the task in which they had to decide whether the blue or the red color was winning. When they use the frequency matching strategy they chose blue at the rate of winning for the blue choice. When they use the maximization strategy they chosed blue almost always. Our task was designed such that the frequency for blue to win was 80%. We had hypothesized that the people in frequency matching and maximization groups would show working memory differences which could be observed from the fNIRS signal. However, we were unable to detect this type of behavioral difference in the fNIRS signal. Overall, our study showed the relationship between probability learning and working memory as depicted by brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex which widely known as the central executive component of working memory.