Auditory Short-term Memory Task Research Articles

Performances of Pointing Phonological Memory Tasks between Children with and without Speech Sound Disorders

Objectives: A new phonological memory task using pointing responses was developed and the performance of each sub-task was compared between children with and without speech sound disorders (SSD). Methods: 16 children with SSD and 14 typically developing children (TD) performed pointing memory tasks, which consists of four sub-tasks—auditory short-term, auditory working, visual short-term, and visual working memory; and performances between groups and between each sub-task were compared. In addition, the correlation between the new task and the existing task (digit span task), vocabulary sizes and the accuracy of consonants was analyzed. Results: First, the SSD group showed significantly lower performance in the pointing memory tasks than the TD group. Second, both the SSD and TD groups showed significantly higher performance in auditory stimulation compared with visual stimulation, and in short-term memory than working memory. Third, in the case of the TD group, the performance of the auditory short-term memory task was much better, and there were no significant differences among the other three sub-tasks, while the SSD group showed a sequential decline in performances among the four sub-tasks. Finally, there was a high correlation between the new task and the existing task, vocabulary sizes, and the accuracy of consonants. Conclusion: The low performance in the phonological memory task of the SSD group is not due to weakness in articulation or in auditory processing, but to defects in phonological short-term/working memory itself. The results of this study provide meaningful information on the different performance patterns of phonological memory tasks according to stimulus modalities between the SSD and TD groups.

Lighting color temperature impacts effort-related cardiovascular response to an auditory short-term memory task

To better understand the impact of environmental light on processes that underlie cognitive activity, Lasauskaite and Cajochen (2018) recently proposed a theoretical model that predicts how light's correlated color temperature (CCT) affects effort. Here we tested whether the effects of CCT of light on effort-related cardiovascular response also extend to another sensory input—hearing. In two experimental blocks, participants were exposed to either low (2800 K) or high correlated color temperature (6500 K) light with an illumination level of 500 lux for 15 min before and while they performed an auditory n-back task varying in difficulty level (low difficulty/1-back vs. moderate difficulty/2-back). Mental effort was indexed as sympathetic beta-adrenergic impact on the heart, measured via cardiac pre-ejection period and systolic blood pressure. Based on the theoretical model, we hypothesized that light with a high CCT should lead to lower mental effort compared to light with a low CCT in both the low and moderate task difficulty conditions. Moreover, moderate task difficulty should lead to stronger effort compared to an easy task. The results did not show expected differences in invested effort levels between the task difficulty conditions (1-back vs. 2-back task) measured by cardiac pre-ejection period and systolic blood pressure. However, in line with our prediction, the results indicated that higher CCT of light decreased effort during an auditory memory task. Task performance was higher in easy than moderate task difficulty but was not altered by lighting conditions. Furthermore, we found no significant associations between cardiovascular reactivity and changes in mood, sleepiness, light, task, or effort ratings. Taken together, our results provide first evidence that higher CCT of light reduces the amount of effort invested during cognitive tasks for which hearing is needed. Given that this study was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions and with healthy young participants, additional research is needed to demonstrate that our results generalize to real-life applications. Nevertheless, we recommend that lower CCT of light should be avoided in learning and work contexts, as it might lead to higher effort and cardiovascular reactivity that may contribute to the development of cardiovascular health problems. Instead, we recommend higher CCT of light during daytime for wellbeing and health.

EEG dipole source localization with information criteria for multiple particle filters

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive brain imaging technique that describes neural electrical activation with good temporal resolution. Source localization is required for clinical and functional interpretations of EEG signals, and most commonly is achieved via the dipole model; however, the number of dipoles in the brain should be determined for a reasonably accurate interpretation. In this paper, we propose a dipole source localization (DSL) method that adaptively estimates the dipole number by using a novel information criterion. Since the particle filtering process is nonparametric, it is not clear whether conventional information criteria such as Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC) can be applied. In the proposed method, multiple particle filters run in parallel, each of which respectively estimates the dipole locations and moments, with the assumption that the dipole number is known and fixed; at every time step, the most predictive particle filter is selected by using an information criterion tailored for particle filters. We tested the proposed information criterion first through experiments on artificial datasets; these experiments supported the hypothesis that the proposed information criterion would outperform both AIC and BIC. We then analyzed real human EEG datasets collected during an auditory short-term memory task using the proposed method. We found that the alpha-band dipoles were localized to the right and left auditory areas during the auditory short-term memory task, which is consistent with previous physiological findings. These analyses suggest the proposed information criterion can work well in both model and real-world situations.

Verbal and musical memory: Selectivity of auditory disorders after stroke

Neuropsychological consequences of stroke have important social, professional, and private life impacts. Deficits affecting language processing are well documented unlike musical disorders. Yet, according to Sarkamo et al. (Neuropsychologia, 2009), the incidence of acquired amusia after stroke is 60% after a delay of one week and 42% after 3 months. The goal of this study is to compare verbal and musical auditory memory in patients with stroke history, using a short-term memory paradigm. The goal is to evaluate the interest of testing non-verbal memory in neuropsychological assessment after stroke, as it could guide the choice of reeducation methods. Patients included in the study have been hospitalized in the stroke unit of the neurological hospital in Lyon for a stroke in the MCA (middle cerebral artery) territory. Several months after stroke, they were assessed with a test battery including cognitive evaluation, speech evaluation and audiometry. Acquired amusia was diagnosed with the MBEA (Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia, Peretz et al., Ann N Y Acad Sci, 2003). The auditory musical and verbal short-term memory was tested with a paradigm involving a comparison of short word sequences or tone sequences, separated by a delay of 1000 ms. Performance in the auditory short-term memory task were significantly decreased for the verbal task in patients with left hemisphere lesions, and for the musical task in patients with right hemisphere lesions, in comparison with controls. These results suggest separated cerebral networks for speech and music, for auditory short-term memory, with a preference of the left hemisphere for speech and the right hemisphere for music. To correlate behavioral results and cerebral lesions, analyses of cerebral imaging data will be conducted using voxel based lesion symptom mapping and DTI.

Metilfenidato y memoria a corto plazo en mujeres jóvenes con trastorno por déficit de atención/hiperactividad. Estudio de resonancia magnética funcional

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioral disorder found mainly in males, thus current knowledge on its clinical expression in female adults is extremely limited. AIM. To evaluate the behavioral and neural substrates associated with the performance of a short-term memory task in female ADHD adults, with and without methylphenidate exposure, with respect to a control group. Two groups of eight young right-handed, female, university students with ADHD and healthy controls matched by age, gender, handedness and academic level, voluntarily participated. All subjects performed twice an easy auditory short-term memory task (ADHD group without, and 90 minutes post-intake of methylphenidate 0.4 mg/kg in a counterbalanced order). The BOLD-fMRI response was used as a measure of neural activity during task performance. ADHD subjects showed a tendency to improve their performances under medication, showing an increased widespread functional activation, especially relevant over left frontal and cerebellar areas, in comparison with control subjects. Methylphenidate slightly improves short-term memory task performance in adult female ADHD subjects by modifying underlying neural functioning patterns.

Differential effects of mental load on proximal and distal arm muscle activity

Work-related upper extremity disorders (WRUEDs) that result from keyboarding tasks are prevalent and costly. Although the precise mechanisms causing the disorder are not yet fully understood, several risk factors have been proposed. These include the repetitive nature of the motor task and the associated sustained static working postures, but also more psychological factors such as mental load. Epidemiological surveys have shown that WRUEDs are more prone to develop in the postural muscles of the neck/shoulder area than in the executive muscles controlling the hand. The present study investigated whether the activation patterns of these two muscle types are differentially affected by an additional mental load during the performance of a repetitive tapping task. Participants tapped various keying patterns with their dominant index finger at two prescribed tempi. Mental load was manipulated by means of an auditory short-term memory task. We recorded the EMG activity of two neck/shoulder muscles (trapezius and deltoid), two upper arm muscles (biceps and triceps), and four forearm muscles (flexor digitorum superficialis, extensor digitorum, extensor carpi radialis longus and extensor carpi ulnaris) and analyzed the kinematics and impact forces of the index finger. The results confirmed that the upper limb has two functions. Specifically, activity of the executive distal musculature was increased during tapping at the higher pace, while the activity of the postural upper limb musculature was elevated due to the memory task. We argue that continuously increased muscular activity can lead to fatigue and thus eventually cause musculoskeletal complaints. The results are discussed with respect to biomechanical adaptation strategies that deal with the consequences of increased noise in the neuromotor system due to enhanced mental processing.

Strategic changes in task performance in simulated car driving as an adaptive response to task demands

Car drivers appear to reduce their driving speed in high task demand situations. Summala's [Safety Sci. 22 (1996) 103–117]; [in: J.A. Rothengatter, & E. Carbonell Vaya (Eds.), Traffic and Transport Psychology: Theory and Application, Pergamon, Oxford, 1997, pp. 41–52] model of behavioural adaptation (MBA) also assumes that drivers increase speed in low task demand situations or attend to additional tasks more. The present study investigated the relation between driving speed and task demands in simulated driving. Participants were observed under three speed conditions, driving fast, driving as if taking a driving test, and following a fast-driving car. The same route was driven twice under each of these speed conditions: once with and once without the concurrent performance of an auditory short-term memory task. All other things being equal, driving fast required more effort than driving more slowly, which was not compensated for by better memory performance. This refutes one assumption of the MBA. When following a fast-driving car, participants invested less effort than when driving fast. As auditory route guidance messages were embedded within the memory task, participants were forced to attend the memory task in all rides of the Fast and Accurate conditions, but not in the Car Following conditions. This can also explain why the memory task had no effect on cognitive effort. It is concluded that car drivers prioritise their task goals.

The N100 auditory cortical evoked potential indexes scanning of auditory short-term memory

Objective: To study activity of auditory cortex reflected by the N100 and P200 components of the auditory evoked potentials during memorization and scanning of short-term memory stores. Methods: In a MEMORY task subjects classified a probe digit either as a member or not a member of a previously presented list of digits that varied in size from one, 3, 5 and 7 items. For comparison, subjects in a NUMBER task listened to a list of digits as in the MEMORY task but determined only whether the probe digit as odd or even. Evoked potentials to the presentation list and to probes were recorded from scalp electrodes and separately averaged for both tasks. The components peaking at approximately 100 ms (N100) and 200 ms (P200) that reflect activity of primary auditory cortex were identified and peak amplitudes and latencies were measured. Results: For presentation set items, the amplitude of N100 was affected by set size in the MEMORY but not in the NUMBER task; N100 was larger for the one item set than for the 3, 5, and 7 item sets. P200 increased in amplitude in a linear manner for both the MEMORY and NUMBER tasks. For probe items, N100 but not P200 amplitude decreased in a linear manner as the number of items in the presentation set increased in the MEMORY but not in the NUMBER task. The linear change of N100 amplitude during memory scanning was particular to in-set but not to out-of-set probes. The amplitudes of both N100 and P200 were almost twice as large in probe digits than in the digits in the presentation set in both the MEMORY and NUMBER tasks. Conclusion: Auditory sensory cortical activity in humans during an auditory short-term memory task shows dynamic changes during both memorization and memory scanning.

Short Term Memory Demands in Processing Synthetic Speech

The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate the demands placed on the short term memory system by synthetic speech. We compared performance in a typical auditory short term memory task as a function of whether the items were presented by a human voice or by a text-to-speech computer voice generator. Immediate serial recall of digit strings was significantly poorer when presented by synthetic speech than when presented by natural speech. The results are consistent with the idea that comprehension of synthetic speech imposes increased resource demands on the short term memory system.

Selective attention and rehearsal in the auditory short-term memory task performance of poor and normal readers.

The performance of poor and normal sixth-grade readers was compared on an auditory short-term memory task in two studies. In the first study, the effects of distraction, list length, and speed of stimulus presentation were investigated to test the hypothesis that the performance of the poor readers is affected by deficits in selective attention. Group differences in performance, however, were obtained for both distraction and no-distraction conditions. The second experiment examined the hypothesis that group differences may reflect differences in the use of rehearsal. In the second experiment, half the reading-disabled children and half the controls were provided with rehearsal training prior to completing the same short-term memory task a second time. Rehearsal training resulted in improved performance relative to children who were not trained; however, there was no rehearsal training X reading group interaction. The poor readers continued to show deficits in performance relative to the performance of control children. The results of these two studies suggest that deficits observed for poor readers on short-term memory tasks may reflect processing difficulties in some area that precedes rehearsal and affects performance under both distraction and no-distraction conditions.

Concurrent validation of a dual-task selection test.

Examined individual differences in dual-task decrement within the framework of a concurrent validation paradigm. The performance of 49 males employed as detection and communication equipment operators aboard military antisubmarine aircraft was measured in a dual-task situation, which combined a visual decision task and an auditory short-term memory task. Criterion scores from a standardized exercise in a radar training simulator were not significantly related to dual-task measures. Peer ratings, supervisor rank orderings based on flight performance, radar training grades, and indexes combining subjective and objective criteria were significantly related to dual-task measures. The dual-task measures, when combined with predictive measures available from aircrew selection tests, enhanced the potential predictive effectiveness. Keywords: Driver distraction; Language: en