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Working memory’s workload capacity

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 11:54 authored by Heathcote, A, Coleman, JR, Eidels, A, Watson, JM, Houpt, J, Strayer, DL
We examined the role of dual-task interference in working memory using a novel dual two-back task that requires a redundant-target response (i.e., a response that neither the auditory nor the visual stimulus occurred two back versus a response that one or both occurred two back) on every trial. Comparisons with performance on single two-back trials (i.e., with only auditory or only visual stimuli) showed that dual-task demands reduced both speed and accuracy. Our task design enabled a novel application of Townsend and Nozawa's (Journal of Mathematical Psychology 39: 321-359, 1995) workload capacity measure, which revealed that the decrement in dual two-back performance was mediated by the sharing of a limited amount of processing capacity. Relative to most other single and dual n-back tasks, performance measures for our task were more reliable, due to the use of a small stimulus set that induced a high and constant level of proactive interference. For a version of our dual two-back task that minimized response bias, accuracy was also more strongly correlated with complex span than has been found for most other single and dual n-back tasks.

History

Publication title

Memory & Cognition

Volume

43

Issue

7

Pagination

973-989

ISSN

0090-502X

Department/School

Tasmanian School of Medicine

Publisher

Austin Tx Psychonomic Society

Place of publication

United States

Rights statement

Copyright 2015 Psychonomic Society, Inc.

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in psychology

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