Brown-Peterson Task Research Articles

The role of articulatory rehearsal in short-term false memories during ageing.

Recent studies have shown that articulatory rehearsal prevents false memories in working memory tasks in young adults. During ageing, a substantial increase in false memories has been documented in numerous studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of rehearsal in the increase of false memories with age. In two experiments, we manipulated the opportunity to use rehearsal in a Brown-Peterson task in which younger (n = 80) and older (n = 70) adults maintained semantically related word lists and reported their maintenance strategies. Both experiments showed that reducing the opportunity to use rehearsal increased false memories and decreased correct recall in both groups. Furthermore, older adults made more false memories and less correct recall than younger adults, and these effects were partially mediated by the number of times participants reported using rehearsal (Experiment 2). These findings suggest that age-related differences in rehearsal use explain differences in working memory task performance.

Short-term retention of words as a function of encoding depth.

The traditional short- and long-term storage view of information processing and the levels-of-processing view both discuss the forgetting of information over time. In the traditional stage view, there is loss of at least poorly encoded information across several seconds when the information cannot be rehearsed (e.g., Ricker et al., 2020, Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 46, 60-76). In the levels-of-processing approach, information that is encoded in a shallow manner is lost more quickly over time than deeply-encoded information (Craik & Lockhart, 1972, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11, 671-684.). Previous studies of the depth of encoding, however, have mostly been conducted using delayed tests, so there are few studies directly comparing the rate of forgetting over time for information as a function of different depths of encoding. We manipulated the level of processing with immediate recall in a modified Brown-Peterson task. An effect of the level of processing was robust, but evidence of forgetting across retention intervals was not always observed. When encoding time was curtailed (in Experiments 3 and 4), we found main effects of both the level of processing and the retention interval, but no interaction between the two variables. The results suggest that the depth-of-encoding effect may occur during the initial encoding of items, but without differential forgetting within the range of retention intervals that we examined (0-18 s), in contrast to the suggestion by Craik and Lockhart. Further work is needed to determine whether the depth-of-processing effect would grow over longer intervals.

The neural correlates of interference control dysfunction of working memory in major depressive disorder: An event-related potential study.

Interference control function is a key function in a series of specific functions of working memory (WM), which is usually impaired in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Event-related potentials (ERPs) have advantages in exploring the neural processing of interference control and WM impairment, and therefore, it is helpful to further understand the neural mechanism of MDD. In the present study, 44 patients with MDD and 44 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. All participants completed a 4-gradient difficulty Brown-Peterson task (BPT), whose difficulty was manipulated by changing the demand of interspersed distraction tasks. High-density EEG was simultaneously recorded. The hit rate and reaction time (RT) toward the target stimulus as well as the underlying ERP features were analyzed. The results showed that, when compared with HCs, MDD patients had significantly lower hit rates and longer RTs among all four difficulties of BPT. For ERP components, no significant between-group difference was found in either N100 or P200 average amplitudes; however, the centroparietal late positive potential (LPP) amplitude of both MDD group and HC group decreased with the increase of BPT difficulty, despite the pattern of the HC group was relative moderate. For both groups, the LPP amplitude was significantly smaller in high-order difficult BPT tasks than in low-order difficult tasks. Moreover, LPP amplitude in high-order difficult tasks was much smaller in MDD group than that of HC group. Our findings suggest that failure to control interference well may play a critical role in the impairment of WM in patients with MDD, and provided new evidence that the neural correlates of interference control dysfunction of WM in MDD.

Visuospatial working memory abilities and spontaneous sensations perception

Aim: Body awareness arises when attending to and maintaining awareness of visuospatial body representations. By the same token, focussing on representations transfers them to working memory. Body awareness and working memory seemingly rely on similar processes and recruit common parietal areas involved in perception. Therefore, we asked whether visuospatial working memory abilities would define individual differences in the perception of spontaneous sensations (SPS), i.e., bodily sensations perceived in the absence of triggers (e.g., tactile stimulation or movement), when attending to the body. Method: Participants completed two visuospatial working memory tasks to assess various mechanisms: (i) the decay of representations was assessed through a Brown-Peterson task in which the delay between the memorandum presentation and its recall was manipulated, and (ii) the impact of distractors’ interference and cognitive load (i.e., complexity) on recall performances were assessed through a complex span task that required the processing of distractors while maintaining a memorandum. A standard SPS task involving localization and characterization of SPS perceived on the hands was completed afterwards. Results: Low performance due to decay, distractors’ interference and cognitive load in visuospatial working memory was associated with a decrease in the frequency of SPS. Additionally, low performance due to distractors’ cognitive load predicted a decrease in the perception of surface-type sensations, and high performance despite distractors’ interference led to a better perception of SPS on less sensitive areas of the hand. Conclusion: We discuss how visuospatial working memory processes might contribute to body awareness and perceptual distortions of the body.

Investigating music-based cognitive rehabilitation for individuals with moderate to severe chronic acquired brain injury: A feasibility experiment.

Acquired brain injuries often cause cognitive impairment, significantly impacting participation in rehabilitation and activities of daily living. Music can influence brain function, and thus may serve as a uniquely powerful cognitive rehabilitation intervention. This feasibility study investigated the potential effectiveness of music-based cognitive rehabilitation for adults with chronic acquired brain injury. The control group participated in three Attention Process Training (APT) sessions, while the experimental group participated in three Music Attention Control Training (MACT) sessions. Pre-and post- testing used the Trail Making A & B, Digit Symbol, and Brown-Peterson Task as neuropsychological tests. ANOVA analyses showed no significant difference between groups for Trail A Test, Digit Symbol, and Brown-Peterson Task. Trail B showed significant differences at post-test favouring MACT over APT. The mean difference time between pre-and post-tests for the Trail B Test was also significantly different between APT and MACT in favour of MACT using a two-sample t-test as well as a follow-up nonparametric Mann Whitney U-test. The group differences found in the Trail B tests provided preliminary evidence for the efficacy of MACT to arouse and engage attention in adults with acquired brain injury.

The Use of Therapeutic Music Training to Remediate Cognitive Impairment Following an Acquired Brain Injury: The Theoretical Basis and a Case Study.

Cognitive impairment is the most common sequelae following an acquired brain injury (ABI) and can have profound impact on the life and rehabilitation potential for the individual. The literature demonstrates that music training results in a musician’s increased cognitive control, attention, and executive functioning when compared to non-musicians. Therapeutic Music Training (TMT) is a music therapy model which uses the learning to play an instrument, specifically the piano, to engage and place demands on cognitive networks in order to remediate and improve these processes following an acquired brain injury. The underlying theory for the efficacy of TMT as a cognitive rehabilitation intervention is grounded in the literature of cognition, neuroplasticity, and of the increased attention and cognitive control of musicians. This single-subject case study is an investigation into the potential cognitive benefit of TMT and can be used to inform a future more rigorous study. The participant was an adult male diagnosed with cognitive impairment as a result of a severe brain injury following an automobile accident. Pre- and post-tests used standardized neuropsychological measures of attention: Trail Making A and B, Digit Symbol, and the Brown–Peterson Task. The treatment period was twelve months. The results of Trail Making Test reveal improved attention with a large decrease in test time on both Trail Making A (−26.88 s) and Trail Making B (−20.33 s) when compared to normative data on Trail Making A (−0.96 s) and Trail Making B (−3.86 s). Digit Symbol results did not reveal any gains and indicated a reduction (−2) in free recall of symbols. The results of the Brown–Peterson Task reveal improved attention with large increases in the correct number of responses in the 18-s delay (+6) and the 36-s delay (+7) when compared with normative data for the 18-s delay (+0.44) and the 36-s delay (−0.1). There is sparse literature regarding music based cognitive rehabilitation and a gap in the literature between experimental research and clinical work. The purpose of this paper is to present the theory for Therapeutic Music Training (TMT) and to provide a pilot case study investigating the potential efficacy of TMT to remediate cognitive impairment following an ABI.

Augmented reality instructional tool in enhancing geography learners academic performance and retention in Osun state Nigeria

The emergence of new technological innovations in classroom has brought about greater changes in pedagogy especially in concepts related to abstraction such as Geography. Geography teaching and learning particularly elements of physical Geography, is mostly approached in a conventional pedagogical manner even as the concept consist abstractions. Physical Geography comprise abstractions leading to students’ conceptual difficulties, leading to poor academic performance and low retention. On this basis, this study engaged a visualisation technology; Augmented Reality Instructional Tool (ARIT) to examine Geography learners’ performance and retention when they are exposed to its’ use in learning Physical Geography concepts. Four research questions were answered, while, one hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. A mixed method research approach of an experimental and survey designs was adopted. A multistage sampled intact class served as the participants. Three test instruments: an open-sourced AR mobile application (ARSJA); an adopted performance and retention test on physical geography (PRTPG); and a validated 7-Item questionnaire with a reliability value of 0.82 were employed as the research instrument. A retention rubric adopted based on Brown-Peterson Task of Memory was used as the qualitative content analysis tool. The major finding of the study was that ARIT enhances learners’ performance and retention, and equally embrace gender equality. The study concluded, that the teaching and learning of Geography can be enhanced with the use of ARIT.

Impact of cognitive functions on the quality of spirometry performance in patients with COPD

OBJECTIVE: We researched the relationship between the cognitive scores and the error codes which determine pulmonary function test (PFT) compliance accompanied by the phenotypic findings of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients in a stable condition with COPD, who were diagnosed with the criteria recommended in the international guidelines, were included in the study. PFTs were requested from all the patients during the regular outpatient admission. The following tests were applied to all the patients in a 30-min test session; COPD assessment test, modified British Medical Research Council and neurophysiological tests (Mini-Mental Test, Trail Making Test Part A and B, Clock Drawing Test, Straight and Backward Digit Span, Brown Peterson Task and Verbal Fluency Test). We analyzed the statistical relationship between data collected after cognitive tests and PFT quality data. RESULTS: The study was concluded with a total of 70 patients. When the PFT evaluations of the patients were examined, the percentage of patients who correctly fulfilled the repeatability criteria was found as 28%, who met the acceptability criteria as 57%, and who correctly fulfilled both criteria as 14%. The relationship between the results of patients, who fulfilled both repeatability and acceptability criteria correctly and incorrectly at the same time, with the backward digit span test results was found to be significant (P DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Error codes that identify the compliance in PFTs could be used as predictors of cognitive impairment in COPD.

Five-Year-Old Children\u2019s Working Memory Can Be Improved When Children Act On A Transparent Goal Cue

Working memory is a key component of human cognition and its development throughout childhood a major predictor of cognitive development and school achievement. Noticeably, preschoolers exhibit poor performance in working memory tasks. The present study aimed at testing different means to improve working memory performance in preschoolers. To this aim, we tested the effect of abstract and transparent goal cues in a Brown-Peterson task performed by 4- and 5-year-old preschoolers. If the transparent goal cue helps to better maintain the instructions, it should lead to better memory performance. Moreover, preschoolers had to track, either visually or with their fingers, the goal cue during the retention interval. If the motor activity favors the active engagement of the children in the task, the finger tracking should lead to improvement in memory performance. Our findings were that 5-year-old children benefitted from a transparent goal cue when they acted on it, while 4-year-old children did not show any improvement. These results suggest that working memory performance can be improved in 5-year-old children when the task embeds elements that can scaffold the task goal.

Does semantic long-term memory impact refreshing in verbal working memory?

Attentional refreshing allows the maintenance of information in working memory and has received growing interest in recent years. However, it is still ill-defined and several proposals have been put forward to account for its functioning. Among them, some proposals suggest that refreshing relies on the retrieval of knowledge from semantic long-term memory. To examine such a proposal, the present study examined the impact on refreshing of two effects known to affect the retrieval from semantic long-term memory: word frequency and lexicality. In working memory span tasks, participants had to maintain memoranda varying in either frequency, or lexicality while performing concurrent tasks. By examining recall performance in complex span tasks and response times for the concurrent task in Brown-Peterson tasks, the present study provided evidence that long-term memory effects (a) affected recall without interacting with manipulation of refreshing and (b) did not affect refreshing speed. These findings challenge the idea that refreshing acts through the retrieval of knowledge from semantic long-term memory. Different WM models are discussed to account for these findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of goal cueing in kindergarteners’ working memory

Goal neglect has been shown to contribute to kindergarteners’ poor executive control. Hence, presenting goal cues during a task improves children’s performance in inhibition and switching tasks. The current study aimed at extending these findings to working memory (WM) by examining the extent to which kindergarteners’ poor WM performance can result from neglecting the goal to recall memoranda at the end of the retention interval. This question was addressed by introducing goal cues, either visual (Experiments 1 and 2a) or auditory–verbal (Experiment 2b), during the retention interval in a Brown–Peterson task. Results showed no evidence of recall improvement for any cue. However, kindergarteners rehearsed more often in the presence of a visual goal cue, whereas recall was impaired with the presentation of an auditory–verbal goal cue. This suggests that introducing a goal cue in the retention interval of a WM task triggers the use of rehearsal in kindergarteners, albeit without any benefit in WM performance. This contrasts sharply with findings on other executive control tasks. Reasons why goal cues failed to improve kindergarteners’ WM performance are discussed.

The Experimental Effects of Acute Exercise Intensity on Episodic Memory and Working Memory Function

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential intensity-dependent effects of acute exercise on episodic memory and working memory capacity. A counterbalanced, randomized controlled, within-subject design was employed (N=20; Mage=20.8 yrs). The three counterbalanced visits included a control visit, moderate-intensity exercise (40% of HRR) and high-intensity exercise (70% of HRR). Episodic memory was assessed from a word-list task, including an immediate and delayed (20-min delay) assessment. Working memory capacity was assessed from the Brown-Peterson task. Immediate episodic memory recall was similar across the three conditions (8.5-8.7 words). However, for the 20-min delay period, the high-intensity exercise condition had a higher word recall score than the two other conditions (5.7 vs. 4.9). For the working memory task, there was a statistically significant main effect for condition (F=4.3, P=0.02, η2p=0.18), main effect for delay period (F=30.6, P

Examining distinct working memory processes in children and adolescents using fMRI: Results and validation of a modified Brown-Peterson paradigm.

Verbal working memory (WM) comprises different processes (encoding, maintenance, retrieval) that are often compromised in brain diseases, but their neural correlates have not yet been examined in childhood and adolescence. To probe WM processes and associated neural correlates in developmental samples, and obtain comparable effects across different ages and populations, we designed an adapted Brown-Peterson task (verbal encoding and retrieval combined with verbal and visual concurrent tasks during maintenance) to implement during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In a sample of typically developing children and adolescents (n = 16), aged 8 to 16 years, our paradigm successfully identified distinct patterns of activation for encoding, maintenance, and retrieval. While encoding activated perceptual systems in posterior and ventral visual regions, retrieval activated fronto-parietal regions associated with executive control and attention. We found a different impact of verbal versus visual concurrent processing during WM maintenance: at retrieval, the former condition evoked greater activations in visual cortex, as opposed to selective involvement of language-related areas in left temporal cortex in the latter condition. These results are in accord with WM models, suggesting greater competition for processing resources when retrieval follows within-domain compared with cross-domain interference. This pattern was found regardless of age. Our study provides a novel paradigm to investigate distinct WM brain systems with reliable results across a wide age range in developmental populations, and suitable for participants with different WM capacities.

Changes in Pro-Inflammatory Markers in Detoxifying Chronic Alcohol Abusers, Divided by Lesch Typology, Reflect Cognitive Dysfunction.

To investigate pro-inflammatory markers in the blood and associate with cognitive impairment. Il-6 and ferritin were assayed in the blood of 27 patients, divided according to Lesch typology, at the commencement and after 21 days of detoxification, together with a battery of cognitive tests. A significantly higher mean level of IL-6 was present in the blood of patients with Lesch typology 1 compared to the other typologies 2 and 3 on admission to the Detoxification Ward which did not alter significantly after detoxification. The mean level of IL-6 was initially elevated in Lesch typology 2 alcohol abusers and declined to the reference range after detoxification. Lesch typology 3 alcohol abusers showed normal levels of IL-6 at both time points. Only in Lesch typology 1 were the levels of ferritin and IL-10 significantly elevated at the start of the detoxification process. Cognitive impairment, as ascertained by Stroop test and Brown-Peterson procedure was greater in Lesch typology 1 than the other 2 patient groups. Such data might indicate a greater degree of neuroinflammation in Lesch typology 1 alcoholic patients. Dividing a heterogeneous group of alcoholic subjects into homogenous groups according to Lesch typology, identifies a greater pro-inflammatory profile in Lesch typology 1 patients who also showed greater cognitive impairment.

Developmental improvement in strategies to maintain verbal information in working memory

Although it has been proposed that maintenance of verbal information in adults’ working memory relies on two strategies, articulatory rehearsal and attentional refreshing, little is known about the interplay of these strategies in children. To examine strategy changes around the age of seven, children were asked to maintain digits during a retention interval introduced between encoding and recall. In Experiment 1, this interval was either unfilled in a delayed span task or filled with an attention-demanding task in a Brown-Peterson task. This concurrent task was either silent or aloud to vary the availability of rehearsal. Experiment 2 introduced variation in the attentional demand of the concurrent task, and an independent concurrent articulation. As predicted, recall performance was better in older children, but was reduced under concurrent articulation or when attention was less available, bringing further evidence in favor of two maintenance strategies. Moreover, the measure of the availability of attention for refreshing was correlated with recall performance in eight- and seven-year-olds, though only when rehearsal was impeded for seven-year-olds, but it did not correlate with six-year-olds’ recall. This could suggest that rehearsal is the default strategy in young children who can adaptively switch to refreshing when articulatory processes are unavailable.

Positional uncertainty in the Brown-Peterson paradigm.

Since McGeoch's (1932) influential article, no accounts of long-term memory have invoked decay as a cause of forgetting. In contrast, multiple accounts of short-term memory (STM) invoke decay, with many appealing to results from the Brown-Peterson paradigm as offering support. Two experiments are reported that used a standard Brown-Peterson task but which scored the data in 2 ways. With traditional scoring (was the entire 3-letter consonant trigram recalled?) performance decreased with increasing delay. With immediate serial recall scoring (e.g., was the first letter recalled first, was the second letter recalled second?), standard position error gradients (Experiment 1), and protrusion gradients (Experiment 2) were observed. That is, when the first letter of the consonant trigram was not recalled first, it was more likely to be recalled second than last. In addition, if a letter from a previous list was mistakenly recalled in a later list, it most likely retained its original position. The presence of such gradients is inconsistent with claims of decay but is predicted by SIMPLE, a local distinctiveness model of memory. Moreover, the presence of such gradients is consistent with the claim that forgetting in the Brown-Peterson paradigm follows the same principles observed in other memory tasks.

The modeling of temporary storage and its effect on fluid intelligence: Evidence from both Brown–Peterson and complex span tasks

The aim of the current study was to achieve a purified representation of the capacity for the temporary storage of information and to examine its relationship with fluid intelligence by means of a novel approach combining experimental manipulations and statistical modeling. A sample of 221 university students completed versions of the Brown–Peterson task and of the complex span task. In each task we manipulated the demands to storage capacity by including three treatment levels in the storage subtask. The distractor subtask was also manipulated. The fixed-links modeling approach was applied to separate the core process representing temporary storage from the auxiliary processes and to link them to measures of fluid intelligence. The results revealed a high correlation between the temporary-storage latent variables of the two tasks. The correlation between fluid intelligence and temporary storage was substantial for both storage tasks. A general temporary-storage latent variable extracted from the two storage tasks accounted for over a quarter of the variance of fluid intelligence. In contrast, the effect of the distractor subtask on memory performance proved to be independent of fluid intelligence. These results suggest that temporary storage is a relevant cognitive process regarding fluid intelligence, whereas coping with distraction is not.

Normative Data for a Computer-Assisted Version of the Auditory Three-Consonant Brown-Peterson Paradigm in the Elderly French-Quebec Population

The Brown-Peterson task is used to assess verbal short-term memory as well as divided attention. In its auditory three-consonant version, trigrams are presented to participants who must recall the items in correct order after variable delays, during which an interference task is performed. The present study aimed to establish normative data for this test in the elderly French-Quebec population based on cross-sectional data from a retrospective, multi-center convenience sample. A total of 595 elderly native French-speakers from the province of Quebec performed the Memoria version of the auditory three-consonant Brown-Peterson test. For both series and item-by-item scoring methods, age, education, and, in most cases, recall after a 0-second interval were found to be significantly associated with recall performance after 10-second, 20-second, and 30-second interference intervals. Based on regression model results, equations to calculate Z scores are presented for the 10-second, 20-second and 30-second intervals and for each scoring method to allow estimation of expected performance based on participants’ individual characteristics. As an important ceiling effect was observed at the 0-second interval, norms for this interference interval are presented in percentiles.

Normal Aging of the Attentional Control Functions That Underlie Working Memory

This study assessed the effect of aging on 3 attentional control functions (ACFs)--shifting, inhibition, and updating--and on their contribution to working memory (WM) tasks. Complex WM tasks (the Brown-Peterson procedure, the reading span, and the alpha span) and tasks used to derive composite measures of the ACFs were administered to 75 younger and 75 older adults. Of the 3 ACFs, only inhibition was impaired in aging after controlling for processing speed. Furthermore, the effect of aging on WM tasks was not pervasive, as older adults showed impaired performance on the Brown-Peterson procedure and the reading span but not on the alpha span. When examining the contribution of ACFs to WM in older adults, updating accounted for performance on the Brown-Peterson and reading span tasks, and inhibition was involved in performance on the alpha span task. In younger adults, it was processing speed that contributed the most to WM. This pattern of results suggests that complex WM tasks reflect different ACFs and that this varies as a function of age.

A novel method for assessing rival models of recognition memory

A general comparison is made between the multinomial processing tree (MPT) approach and a strength-based approach for modeling recognition memory measurement. Strength models include the signal-detection model and the dual-process model. Existing MPT models for recognition memory and a new generic MPT model, called the Multistate (MS) model, are contrasted with the strength models. Although the ROC curves for the MS model and strength model are similar, there is a critical difference between existing strength models and MPT models that goes beyond the assessment of the ROC. This difference concerns the question of stochastic mixtures for foil test trials. The hazard function and the reverse hazard function are powerful methods for detecting the presence of a probabilistic mixture. Several new theorems establish a novel method for obtaining information about the hazard function and reverse hazard function for the latent continuous distributions that are assumed in the strength approach to recognition memory. Evidence is provided that foil test trials involve a stochastic mixture. This finding occurred for both short-term memory procedures, such as the Brown–Peterson task, and long-term list-learning procedures, such as the paired-associate task. The effect of mixtures on foil trials is problematic for existing strength models but can be readily handled by MPT models such as the MS model. Other phenomena, such as the mirror effect and the effect of target-foil similarity, are also predicted accurately by the MPT modeling framework.