Low Working Memory Research Articles

The Role of Explicit Memory Across Second Language Syntactic Development: A Structural Priming Study

AbstractWe tested whether second language (L2) learners rely more on explicit memory during structural priming at lower than at higher proficiency levels (Hartsuiker & Bernolet, 2017). We compared within‐L2 priming with lexical overlap in 100 low and 100 high proficiency French L2 speakers under low versus high working memory load conditions induced with a letter series recall task presented between primes and targets. The high load condition would prevent explicit recall of primes during target production. Both groups primed more under low than high load. The effect of load was similar across groups, but exploratory analyses with proficiency as a continuous variable suggested that, with increasing proficiency, participants primed less under high load. We discuss how these findings support the idea that learners exploit explicit memory more during priming in early versus later stages of acquisition. Overall, this study showed that explicit memory influences syntactic processing across the L2 learning trajectory.

Measuring cognitive flexibility in anorexia nervosa: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test versus cued task-switching

PurposeThe Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is the most common measure of cognitive flexibility in anorexia nervosa (AN), but task-switching paradigms are beginning to be utilized. The current study directly compared performance on a cued task-switching measure and the WCST to evaluate their association in participants with a lifetime diagnosis of AN, and to assess which measure is more strongly associated with clinical symptoms.MethodsForty-five women with a lifetime diagnosis of AN completed the WCST, cued color-shape task-switching paradigm, Anti-saccade Keyboard Task, Running Memory Span, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales short form and Eating Disorder Flexibility Index.ResultsThere was no evidence of a significant association between WCST perseverative errors and cued task-switching switch costs. Results suggest lower working memory capacity is a determinant of higher perseverative error rate. When controlling for mood variables, neither cognitive flexibility measure was a significant independent predictor of symptom severity.ConclusionsResults provide support for previous suggestions that WCST perseverative errors could occur due to difficulties with working memory, sensitivity to feedback, and issues with concept formation. Cued task-switching paradigms may provide a useful measure of cognitive flexibility for future eating disorders research by reducing task-specific confounds.Level of evidenceLevel III Case–control analytic study.

Using modular connectome-based predictive modeling to reveal brain-behavior relationships of individual differences in working memory.

Working memory plays a crucial role in our daily lives, and brain imaging has been used to predict working memory performance. Here, we present an improved connectome-based predictive modeling approach for building a predictive model of individual working memory performance from whole-brain functional connectivity. The model was built using n-back task-based fMRI and resting-state fMRI data from the Human Connectome Project. Compared to prior models, our model was more interpretable, demonstrated a closer connection to the known anatomical and functional network. The model also demonstrates strong generalization on nine other cognitive behaviors from the HCP database and can well predict the working memory performance of healthy individuals in external datasets. By comparing the differences in prediction effects of different brain networks and anatomical feature analysis on n-back tasks, we found the essential role of some networks in differentiating between high and low working memory loads conditions.

An experimental and simulation study of the impact of emotional information on analogical reasoning

We investigated whether and how emotional information would affect analogical reasoning. We hypothesized that task-irrelevant emotional information would impair performance whereas task-relevant emotional information would enhance it. In Study 1, 233 undergraduates completed a novel version of the People Pieces Task (Emotional Faces People Task), an analogical reasoning task in which the task characters displayed emotional or neutral facial expressions (within-participants). The emotional faces were relevant or irrelevant to the task (between-participants). We simulated the behavioral results using the Learning and Inference with Schemas and Analogies (LISA) model of relational reasoning. LISA is a neurally plausible, symbolic-connectionist computational model of analogical reasoning. In comparison to neutral trials, participants were slower but more accurate on emotion-relevant trials, and were faster but less accurate on emotion-irrelevant trials. Simulations using the LISA model demonstrated that it is possible to account for the effects of emotional information on reasoning in terms of how emotional stimuli attract attention during a reasoning task. In Study 2, 255 undergraduates completed the Emotional Faces People Task at either a high- or low-working memory load. The high working memory load condition of Study 2 replicated the findings of Study 1, showing that participants were more accurate on emotion-relevant trials than on emotion-irrelevant trials; in Study 2, this increased accuracy could not be accounted for by a speed-accuracy tradeoff. The working memory manipulation influenced the manner in which the congruence (with the correct answer) of emotion-irrelevant emotion influenced performance. Simulations using the LISA model showed that manipulating the salience of emotion, the error penalty, as well as vigilance (which determines the likelihood that LISA will notice it has attended to an irrelevant relation), could reasonably reproduce the behavioral results of both low and high working memory load conditions of Study 2.

A-52 Cognitive Functioning After Concussion is Associated with Academic Problems and School Stress

Abstract Purpose Students experiencing concussion symptoms also report school difficulties and academic impacts. We examined the relationship of cognitive functioning with self-reported academic concerns and school stress, hypothesizing that students with lower working memory (WM) and processing speed (PS) scores would have higher reported academic concerns and greater school stress. Methods 184 youth aged 8 to 18 diagnosed with a concussion (Mean age=14.4±2.2, 51% female, 67% white) completed the Concussion Learning Assessment and School Survey, 3rd Edition (CLASS-3), a validated self-reported rating scale of post-concussion academic problems and school stress. Pearson’s partial correlations, controlling for age and sex, assessed the relationship between the Academic Problems and School Stresses scales from the CLASS-3 with the WMI and PSI from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Results There were negative correlations between Processing Speed and Academic Problems (r(144)=-.33, p<.001) and School Stresses (r(160)=-.29, p=<.001). There was also a negative correlation between Working Memory and School Stresses (r(162)=-.24, p=.002) and Academic Problems (r(144)=-.15, p=.07). Conclusions Students with lower working memory and processing speed tend to report higher academic problems and school stresses. These results suggest that students with lower cognitive function experience higher school concerns, implying a need to establish appropriate school supports, particularly in students who experience cognitive dysfunction after a concussion.

Cross-talk of RNA modification "writers" describes tumor stemness and microenvironment and guides personalized immunotherapy for gastric cancer.

RNA modifications, TME, and cancer stemness play significant roles in tumor development and immunotherapy. The study investigated cross-talk and RNA modification roles in the TME, cancer stemness, and immunotherapy of gastric cancer (GC). We applied an unsupervised clustering method to distinguish RNA modification patterns in GC. GSVA and ssGSEA algorithms were applied. The WM_Score model was constructed for evaluating the RNA modification-related subtypes. Also, we conducted an association analysis between the WM_Score and biological and clinical features in GC and explored the WM_Score model's predictive value in immunotherapy. We identified four RNA modification patterns with diverse survival and TME features. One pattern consistent with the immune-inflamed tumor phenotype showed a better prognosis. Patients in WM_Score high group were related to adverse clinical outcomes, immune suppression, stromal activation, and enhanced cancer stemness, while WM_Score low group showed opposite results. The WM_Score was correlated with genetic, epigenetic alterations, and post-transcriptional modifications in GC. Low WM_Score was related to enhanced efficacy of anti-PD-1/L1 immunotherapy. We revealed the cross-talk of four RNA modification types and their functions in GC, providing a scoring system for GC prognosis and personalized immunotherapy predictions.

Modulation of working memory capacity on predictive processing during language comprehension

ABSTRACT Ample evidence has shown facilitations of context-based prediction on language comprehension. However, the influential effect of working memory capacity on this predictive processing remains debated. To investigate this issue with the electroencephalograph technique, high and low working memory capacity participants read strong-, moderate- and weak-constraint sentences which resulted in high-, moderate- and low-predictability for the critical nouns. The strong-constraint (vs. weak-constraint) contexts preceding the nouns elicited a larger positive deflection, which was only observed for the high-span group. Along with the smaller N400s for strong- vs. weak-predictable nouns for both groups, the moderately predictable nouns elicited smaller N400 than the weakly predictable nouns for the high-span group. The ERP effects at both verbs and nouns correlated significantly with the noun’s predictability. These findings suggest that predictive processing involves at least partially an effortful-meaning-computation mechanism, and high working memory capacity facilitates the activation and integration of predicted information during language comprehension.

Psychometric properties of inhibitory control measures among youth with Down syndrome.

Inhibitory control measures have been commonly used when assessing individuals with Down syndrome. However, minimal attention has been devoted to evaluating the appropriateness of specific assessments for use in this population, potentially leading to erroneous conclusions. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of measures of inhibitory control among youth with Down syndrome. We sought to examine the feasibility, presence of floor or practice effects, test-retest reliability, convergent validity and correlations with broader developmental domains of a set of inhibitory control tasks. A sample of 97 youth with Down syndrome aged 6 to 17years old participated in verbal and visuospatial tasks of inhibitory control including the Cat/dog Stroop, Neuropsychological Assessment Second Edition (NEPSY-II) Statue, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery (TCB) Flanker, Leiter-3 Attention Sustained, and the Test of Attentional Performance for Children (KiTAP) Go/No-go and Distractibility subtests. Youth also completed standardised assessments of cognition and language, and caregivers completed rating scales. Psychometric properties on the tasks of inhibitory control were evaluated against a priori criteria. Apart from demonstrating negligible practice effects, adequate psychometric properties were not observed for any inhibitory control measure within the current sample's age range. One task with low working memory demands (NEPSY-II Statue) generally had better psychometric properties than the other tasks assessed. Subgroups of participants with an IQ greater than 30 and age more than 8years were shown to be more likely to be able to complete the inhibition tasks. Findings suggest better feasibility for analogue tasks rather than computerised assessments of inhibitory control. Given the weak psychometrics of several common measures, future studies are required to evaluate other inhibitory control measures, specifically those with reduced working memory demands for youth with Down syndrome. Recommendations for use of the inhibitory control tasks among youth with Down syndrome are provided.

Grit and working memory training outcomes for children with low working memory.

Acta PaediatricaAccepted Articles BRIEF REPORT Grit And Working Memory Training Outcomes For Children With Low Working Memory Megan Spencer Smith, Corresponding Author Megan Spencer Smith [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-1047-0829 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Clinical Sciences Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Correspondence Megan Spencer-Smith, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton 3800, Australia. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAmber Weinman, Amber Weinman Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorJon Quach, Jon Quach Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorLeona Pascoe, Leona Pascoe Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Clinical Sciences Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorFiona Mensah, Fiona Mensah Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorMelissa Wake, Melissa Wake Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New ZealandSearch for more papers by this authorGehan Roberts, Gehan Roberts Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia The Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorPeter J. Anderson, Peter J. Anderson orcid.org/0000-0001-7430-868X Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Clinical Sciences Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author Megan Spencer Smith, Corresponding Author Megan Spencer Smith [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-1047-0829 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Clinical Sciences Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Correspondence Megan Spencer-Smith, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton 3800, Australia. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAmber Weinman, Amber Weinman Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorJon Quach, Jon Quach Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorLeona Pascoe, Leona Pascoe Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Clinical Sciences Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorFiona Mensah, Fiona Mensah Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorMelissa Wake, Melissa Wake Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New ZealandSearch for more papers by this authorGehan Roberts, Gehan Roberts Population Health Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia The Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this authorPeter J. Anderson, Peter J. Anderson orcid.org/0000-0001-7430-868X Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Clinical Sciences Theme, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 11 May 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.16835 This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi:10.1111/apa.16835. AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Accepted ArticlesAccepted, unedited articles published online and citable. The final edited and typeset version of record will appear in the future. RelatedInformation

The effects of different task repetition schedules on oral narratives of L2 learners with high and low working memory capacity

The present study investigated the effects of different task repetition (TR) schedules on oral complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) of L2 learners with high and low working memory capacity (WMC). To this end, 36 intermediate Iranian learners were assigned to two groups by means of a speaking span task: task repetition of high WMC learners (TRHWM) and task repetition of low WMC leaners (TRLWM). The learners in both groups were required to watch a silent animation, retell the story, and then repeat it immediately. They were also asked to repeat the same task after three days and a week without having a chance to watch the animation. The learners' oral task performances were recorded, coded, and analyzed in terms of the CAF measures. Results revealed that different TR schedules assisted low-WMC L2 learners with improving their complexity measure in terms of lexical diversity such that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups from the first to the last oral performance. In addition, the findings bear pedagogical significance in that they add support to the positive effect of using different task repetition schedules on the oral performances of both high- and low-WMC L2 learners.

An educational intervention to improve the efficacy of responsive neurostimulation scans: a single-center study (P5-1.012)

<h3>Objective:</h3> We aimed to investigate the impact of an educational intervention in improving responsive neurostimulation (RNS) efficacy by motivating patients to undertake regular RNS scans (downloads), allowing for prompt intervention. <h3>Background:</h3> As part of the management of refractory epilepsy with RNS, the recorded data should be regularly retrieved and uploaded to Neuropace for the epileptologist to analyze and make required modifications. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> Twelve patients with refractory epilepsy undergoing treatment with RNS at our center from January 2021 until May 2022 were included. All patients received an in-person educational session and four weekly reminder emails about data transfer. Data collected included the number of RNS scans 6-months before and 6-months after the session, age, gender, education, intelligence quotient (IQ) scores, verbal comprehension and working memory scores, seizure onset, epilepsy duration, seizure reduction 6-months post-education. <h3>Results:</h3> Total number of downloads 6 months pre and post education were 455 and 411 respectively. An improvement in adherence with downloading data was observed in patients with temporal onset (195 pre, 223 post), 10–15-year duration of epilepsy (9 pre, 39 post) and IQ 80–89 (16 pre, 56 post). Post education scans declined in patients with extremely low to low average working memory (368 pre, 307 post), extra-temporal epilepsy (260 pre, 188 post), seizure duration &gt;15 years (244 pre, 195 post) and IQ 70–79 (228 pre, 166 post). Even though 67% of the patients reported &gt;50% seizure reduction 6 months post education, these patients had fewer scans compared to their pre-education numbers (244 pre, 195 post). <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Our study did not show an improvement in RNS data transfer compliance after re-educating the patients. Further strategies may be needed such as weekly phone calls, text messages and developing smart phone RNS reminder apps. One of the major limitations of this study is small sample size. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Abughanam has nothing to disclose. Dr. Katyal has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gutierrez has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chen has nothing to disclose.

Effect of Working Memory on Students’ Attitude towards Mathematics at Secondary Level

The aim of this study was to find out the influence of working memory on secondary school students’ attitude towards mathematics. The sample of the study was comprised of 1303 students of age 14-15. Digit backward test was used to measure the working memory capacity of the students whilequestionnaire was used for the measurement of their attitude towards mathematics. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test to find the effect of working memory capacity on students’ attitude towards mathematics at secondary level. Independent sample t-test was used to find the difference between students’ working memory capacity based on gender, grades, school type, residential area, and elective subjects. Results suggest that the working memory of the students is consistent with their age. Female students have higher working memory capacity than male students. Urban students have higher memory than rural students. Overall results revealed that students with higher working memory have better attitude towards mathematics than the students with low working memory capacity at secondary level.

Retrieval practice is costly and is beneficial only when working memory capacity is abundant

Numerous studies have shown that learned information practiced by testing is better retained than that practiced by restudying (the testing effect). However, results are inconsistent regarding the effect of working memory (WM) capacity on the testing effect. Here, we hypothesize that the effect of WM only emerges when task demands challenge WM capacity. We manipulated WM demands by pretraining 30 undergraduate participants in a multi-session visual search task before an associative learning task involving a test/restudy manipulation. The results revealed that, while participants with higher WM capacity showed a consistent testing effect, the benefit of testing only emerged in participants with lower WM capacity when learning familiar stimuli (low WM demands). We simulated the results using a modified source of activation confusion (SAC) model, which implemented a dual-process account of the testing effect. The results suggested that the testing effect only emerges when WM capacity is adequate for both processes.

The influences of working memory updating on word association effects and thematic role assignment during sentence processing

The current study investigated how individual variability in working memory (WM) updating affects real-time processing of thematic role assignment and word association during sentence reading comprehension when ERPs were recorded. By adopting a factorial design, four types of sentences were formed by crossing word association and role assignment as independent variables. The results indicated that associated words evoked a smaller N400 effect but a larger P600 effect than unassociated words in the high WM group, whereas no word association effect was found in the low WM group. In contrast, role reversal elicited larger N400 effects for both groups. These results suggest that individual differences in WM updating influenced whether and how readers retrieved and integrated the associated word in whole sentences but did not influence the online assignment of thematic roles during sentence reading. Individuals with high WM updating, in contrast to those with low WM updating, were good at making use of word-associated information provided by the preceding context in current processing.

Individual response to transcranial direct current stimulation as a function of working memory capacity and electrode montage.

Attempts to improve cognitive abilities via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have led to ambiguous results, likely due to the method's susceptibility to methodological and inter-individual factors. Conventional tDCS, i.e., using an active electrode over brain areas associated with the targeted cognitive function and a supposedly passive reference, neglects stimulation effects on entire neural networks. We investigated the advantage of frontoparietal network stimulation (right prefrontal anode, left posterior parietal cathode) against conventional and sham tDCS in modulating working memory (WM) capacity dependent transfer effects of a single-session distractor inhibition (DIIN) training. Since previous results did not clarify whether electrode montage drives this individual transfer, we here compared conventional to frontoparietal and sham tDCS and reanalyzed data of 124 young, healthy participants in a more robust way using linear mixed effect modeling. The interaction of electrode montage and WM capacity resulted in systematic differences in transfer effects. While higher performance gains were observed with increasing WM capacity in the frontoparietal stimulation group, low WM capacity individuals benefited more in the sham condition. The conventional stimulation group showed subtle performance gains independent of WM capacity. Our results confirm our previous findings of WM capacity dependent transfer effects on WM by a single-session DIIN training combined with tDCS and additionally highlight the pivotal role of the specific electrode montage. WM capacity dependent differences in frontoparietal network recruitment, especially regarding the parietal involvement, are assumed to underlie this observation.

Effect of Adolescent Body Mass Index Trajectories on Working Memory: A Prospective Birth Cohort in Brazil

Most research on the association between high body mass index (BMI) and working memory (WM) has been cross-sectional in design, limiting conclusions about long-term effects of overweight and obesity on WM. The aim of this study was to examine the association of BMI trajectory from 11 to 22 years with WM at 22 years of age. Data from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study were analyzed (N = 3,010). Information on BMI was collected at ages 11, 15, 18, and 22 years. Group-based trajectory modeling was used separately for each sex to identify BMI trajectories. Working Memory performance (Digit Span backward score) was examined at age 22. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between BMI trajectory from 11 to 22 years and WM at age 22. In both sexes, the trajectory groups were: stable normal weight, stable overweight, and stable obesity. In the adjusted analyses, women in the stable-obesity group had lower WM at 22 years (β = −.49; 95% CI: −0.75, −0.23; p < .001) than those in the stable-normal weight group. No associations were found between BMI trajectories and WM in men. This study may contribute to future investigations of possible explanatory avenues for the association between high BMI and WM.

Visual processing of food stimuli: The impact of working memory load and color.

Our environment is surrounded by appetizing food stimuli that contribute to an increase in health problems such as obesity and overweight. Understanding the cognitive factors underlying the processing of food stimuli can play an important role in health interventions. Recent studies showed that high-calorie food stimuli impair working memory (WM) task performance, and some individuals, such as restrained eaters, are more susceptible to this WM performance decrement. The present study investigated the effect of low and high WM load on the processing of food stimuli in restrained and unrestrained eaters. Using an n-back task, identical food (low and high calorie) and non-food (object) stimuli were presented in colored (Experiment 1A) or in grayscale (Experiment 1B) versions. Performance was assessed by reaction time (RT), d-prime, and response bias C variables. Results revealed differences in the different WM load conditions. While no effects were observed in the low load, higher WM load impaired task performance. Processing the food stimuli, compared to objects, led to longer RTs and decreased task performance, indicated by d prime and response bias, only when the stimuli were presented in color but not in grayscale. Though no difference was observed in restrained and unrestrained eaters, the role of WM load on the visual processing of the food stimuli remains to be further examined.

Executive functioning and nontarget emotions in late life.

When confronted with an emotion prototype (e.g., loss), individuals may experience not only target emotions (e.g., sadness), but also nontarget emotions (emotions that are atypical or incongruent with an emotion prototype; e.g., gratitude in response to loss). What are the cognitive correlates of nontarget emotions? Drawing from models of emotion generation, the present laboratory-based study examined associations between aspects of executive functioning (i.e., working memory, inhibition, verbal fluency) and the subjective experience of positive and negative nontarget emotions in response to sad and awe film clips in 129 healthy older adults. Findings showed that (a) lower working memory was associated with higher levels of positive and negative nontarget (but not target) emotions in response to sad and awe film clips. Moreover, (b) associations were specific to working memory and not found for other aspects of executive functioning. Associations were (c) robust when accounting for age, gender, education, target emotion and physiological arousal (except for negative nontarget emotions in response to the sad film clips). Finally, (d) findings were driven by awe, happiness, calm, and gratitude for the sad film clips and disgust, fear, sadness, compassion, happiness, love, and excitement for the awe film clips. Overall, these findings show a link between lower working memory function and elevated nontarget emotional experiences in late life. Directions for future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationship between noise-induced hearing loss and cognitive function

Introduction NIHL may affect some domains of cognitive function. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between NIHL and working memory, attention and response time. Materials and methods This was a cross-sectional study on 154 textile workers with exposure to noise higher than 85dBA in a textile factory. The participants were divided into two groups: with and without NIHL and some domains of cognitive function were compared between two groups. Wechsler working memory test and Stroop color-word test were used to measure working memory, selective attention and response time. Data were analyzed by SPSS (ver. 24) using student’s T test, and multiple linear regression model. Results Totally, 154 workers entered the study (77 with NIHL and 77 without NIHL). All participants were males. Working memory score and response time were higher and interference score was lower in NIHL group, although only the difference in working memory was significant. Due to the significant difference of age and work history between case and control groups, cognitive parameters were compared between two groups after adjusting for these two variables, but the significance was not changed. Conclusion This study showed that noised-exposed middle-aged males with NIHL had probably a lower working memory span than their counterparts without NIHL.

Ego depletion and implicit and explicit determinants of condom use intentions: an experimental study among young men.

The Reflective Impulsive Model of Strack and Deutsch (2004) is a dual-process model and could be a dynamic theoretical framework of sexual risk behavior that is able to predict condom use under different circumstances. If we apply the Reflective Impulsive Model to sexual risk behavior, implicit attitudes regarding sexual risk behavior should have a stronger impact on behavior when working memory capacity is low. Explicit attitudes have a strong impact on intentions, which diminishes as participants have less working memory capacity. In this study, we induced a state of ego depletion to examine the impact of low working memory capacity on implicit and explicit attitudes and condom use intentions. Young, male participants ( N = 66) were randomly assigned to either an ego depletion condition (difficult calculus task) or a placebo condition (easy calculus task). At baseline, a questionnaire measuring explicit attitudes and intentions to use a condom, and an Implicit Association Test measuring implicit attitudes towards condoms were administered. After the ego calculus task, participants once more completed the questionnaire and Implicit Association Test. We found no evidence that ego depletion had an effect on intentions to use a condom in young men. Explicit attitudes predicted intentions to use a condom, regardless of participants' state. We found no relationship between implicit condom attitudes and intentions to use a condom, neither in the ego depletion nor in the placebo condition. The implications of this null finding are discussed.