Abstract
Working memory (WM) is crucial for reasoning, learning, decision-making and academic achievement. In diverse contexts, how a task is framed pertaining to its demands and consequences can influence participants' task performance by modifying their cognitive appraisals. However, less is known about the effect of task framing on WM performance and the mechanisms. This study examined whether opportunity- and risk-focused task framing would influence university students' WM performance by altering their cognitive appraisals and affective experiences. Ninety-seven university students were randomly assigned to one of the three framing conditions (Opportunity, Risk, vs. Null), and received instructions that differed in consequences (gain for top performers, loss for poor performers, vs. null), goals (approach, avoidance, vs. neutral), and feedback on personal competence (adequate, inadequate, vs. null). Challenge and threat appraisals, affect, and WM performance were measured before and after task framing. Results showed that opportunity-focused task framing improved students' WM performance, whilst risk-focused task framing increased threat appraisal and decreased positive affect, and that challenge appraisal was not altered in any condition. Female students were influenced by task framing to a greater extent than were male students. Mediation analysis revealed that the alteration of threat appraisal and the change in positive affect mediated the effect of task framing on WM performance. Findings highlight the important role of modifying cognitive appraisals and affective responses in optimizing cognitive performance.
Highlights
University students often face important tasks such as examinations, public speaking and competitions, in which they are required to exert effort to perform well and achieve certain goals
Challenge appraisal was positively associated with positive affect, whereas threat appraisal was positively associated with negative affect, at both time points
Measured challenge appraisal was not associated with threat appraisal, and positive affect was not related to negative affect, at either time point
Summary
University students often face important tasks such as examinations, public speaking and competitions, in which they are required to exert effort to perform well and achieve certain goals. These pressurized tasks were conceptualized as motivated performance situations, for their meaningful consequences, importance, and self-relevance (Seery, 2011). In diverse motivated performance situations (e.g., public speaking, motor tasks, sport competitions, and classroom examinations), task instructions that manipulated task demands and personal competence were found to influence participants’ task performance by altering their cognitive appraisals (Lyons and Schneider, 2005; Moore et al, 2012; Jamieson et al, 2013, 2016; Beltzer et al, 2014). Little is known about whether and how task framing concerning task demands and personal resources can influence WM performance
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