Poor sleep quality and compromised visual working memory capacity
Open accessAbstract
Objectives:Reduction in the amount of information (storage capacity) retained in working memory (WM) has been associated with sleep loss. The present study examined whether reduced WM capacity is also related to poor everyday sleep quality and, more importantly, whether the effects of sleep quality could be dissociated from the effects of depressed mood and age on WM.Methods:In two studies, WM was assessed using a short-term recall task, producing behavioral measures for both the amount of retained WM information (capacity) and how precise the retained WM representations were (precision). Self-report measures of sleep quality and depressed mood were obtained using questionnaires.Results:In a sample of college students, Study 1 found that poor sleep quality and depressed mood could independently predict reduced WM capacity, but not WM precision. Study 2 generalized these sleep- and mood-related WM capacity effects to a community sample (aged 21–77 years) and further showed that age was associated with reduced WM precision.Conclusions:Together, these findings demonstrate dissociable effects of three health-related factors (sleep, mood, and age) on WM representations and highlighte the importance of assessing different aspects of WM representations (e.g., capacity and precision) in future neuropsychological research.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Sleep quality is a known predictor of executive function.
“Sleep quality, a known predictor of EF (Xie et al., 2019), is directly decreased by problematic phone usage (Cui et al., 2021).”
From The Relationship Between TikTok Usage and Executive Function Is Mediated by Problematic Social Media Use (2025) · cites this paper as Xie et al., 2019
Study 1’s Results and Discussion report that sleep-quality scores predicted visual working-memory capacity, supporting a narrower relationship between sleep quality and cognitive performance. The paper did not measure executive function broadly; its General Discussion mentions executive function only as a possible explanation for sleep-related working-memory deficits that needs further study. No page numbers were provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing
R Core Team (2000) · doi:10.32614/r.manuals · Cited by 355,706 · see citing works
The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x · Cited by 44,910 · see citing works
Statistical power analyses using G∗Power 3.1: tests for correlation and regression analyses
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A., & Lang, A.-G. (2009) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/brm.41.4.1149 · Cited by 37,615 · see citing works
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research
Buysse, D. J., Reynolds, C. F., Monk, T. H., Berman, S. R., & Kupfer, D. J. (1989) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4 · Cited by 35,234 · see citing works
The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity
Cowan, N. (2001) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x01003922 · Cited by 6,779 · see citing works
The capacity of visual working memory for features and conjunctions
Luck, S. J., & Vogel, E. K. (1997) · Nature · doi:10.1038/36846 · Cited by 4,053 · see citing works
Working memory, comprehension, and aging: A review and a new view
Hasher, L., & Zacks, R. T. (1988) · Psychology of Learning and Motivation · doi:10.1016/s0079-7421(08)60041-9 · Cited by 3,456 · see citing works
Ohayon, M. M., Carskadon, M. A., Guilleminault, C., & Vitiello, M. V. (2004) · Sleep · doi:10.1093/sleep/27.7.1255 · Cited by 3,349 · see citing works
Working Memory Capacity as Executive Attention
Engle, R. W. (2002) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00160 · Cited by 2,507 · see citing works
Comparing correlated correlation coefficients
Meng, X.-L., Rosenthal, R., & Rubin, D. B. (1992) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.111.1.172 · Cited by 2,472 · see citing works
Models of visuospatial and verbal memory across the adult life span.
Park, D. C., Lautenschlager, G. J., Hedden, T., Davidson, N. S., Smith, A. D., & Smith, P. K. (2002) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/0882-7974.17.2.299 · Cited by 1,792 · see citing works
Discrete fixed-resolution representations in visual working memory
Zhang, W., & Luck, S. J. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature06860 · Cited by 1,624 · see citing works
Self-citationDynamic Shifts of Limited Working Memory Resources in Human Vision
Bays, P. M., & Husain, M. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1158023 · Cited by 1,111 · see citing works
Conway, A. R. A., Cowan, N., Bunting, M. F., Therriault, D. J., & Minkoff, S. R. B. (2002) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/s0160-2896(01)00096-4 · Cited by 1,108 · see citing works
Visual working memory capacity: from psychophysics and neurobiology to individual differences
Luck, S. J., & Vogel, E. K. (2013) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2013.06.006 · Cited by 1,088 · see citing works
Cognitive Approaches to Emotion and Emotional Disorders
Mathews, A., & MacLeod, C. (1994) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.45.020194.000325 · Cited by 1,023 · see citing works
Aging and cognitive deficits : The role of attentional resources
Craik, F. I. M. (1982) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 702 · see citing works
Craik, F. I. M., & Trehub, S. E. (1982) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-4178-9 · Cited by 645 · see citing works
Craik, F. I. M., & Byrd, M. (1982) · Aging and Cognitive Processes · doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-4178-9_11 · Cited by 566 · see citing works
Working memory capacity and the self-regulation of emotional expression and experience.
Schmeichel, B. J., Volokhov, R. N., & Demaree, H. A. (2008) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0013345 · Cited by 564 · see citing works
Functional Imaging of Working Memory after 24 Hr of Total Sleep Deprivation
Chee, M. W. L., & Choo, W. C. (2004) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.0007-04.2004 · Cited by 509 · see citing works
Inhibitory deficit theory: Recent developments in a "new view"
Lustig, C., Hasher, L., & Zacks, R. T. (2008) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/11587-008 · Cited by 428 · see citing works
Self-citationSudden Death and Gradual Decay in Visual Working Memory
Zhang, W., & Luck, S. J. (2009) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02322.x · Cited by 341 · see citing works
Self-citationVulnerable Neural Systems and the Borderland of Brain Aging and Neurodegeneration
Jagust, W. J. (2013) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.01.002 · Cited by 321 · see citing works
The relationship of life event stress and working memory capacity
Klein, K., & Boals, A. (2001) · Applied Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1002/acp.727 · Cited by 306 · see citing works
Subjective and Objective Sleep Quality and Aging in the Sleep Heart Health Study
Unruh, M. L., Redline, S. S., An, M., Buysse, D. J., Nieto, F. J., Yeh, J.-L., & Newman, A. B. (2008) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.01755.x · Cited by 271 · see citing works
Ohayon, M. M., Zulley, J., Guilleminault, C., Smirne, S., & Priest, R. G. (2001) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1046/j.1532-5415.2001.49077.x · Cited by 254 · see citing works
Zawadzki, M. J., Graham, J. E., & Gerin, W. (2013) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0029007 · Cited by 224 · see citing works
for the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study Group, Blackwell, T., Yaffe, K., Laffan, A., Ancoli-Israel, S., Redline, S., Ensrud, K. E., Song, Y., & Stone, K. L. (2014) · Sleep · doi:10.5665/sleep.3562 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
The Impact of Moderate Sleep Loss on Neurophysiologic Signals during Working-Memory Task Performance
Smith, M. E., McEvoy, L. K., & Gevins, A. S. (2002) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/25.7.56 · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Neuropsychological Effects of Sleep Loss: Implication for Neuropsychologists
Waters, F., & Bucks, R. S. (2011) · Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society · doi:10.1017/s1355617711000610 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Neurocognitive Aging and the Hippocampus across Species
Leal, S. L., & Yassa, M. A. (2015) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2015.10.003 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Depression in multiple sclerosis: Relationship to working memory capacity.
Arnett, P. A., Higginson, C. I., Voss, W. D., Bender, W. I., Wurst, J. M., & Tippin, J. (1999) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037//0894-4105.13.4.546 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Depressive deficits in memory: Focusing attention improves subsequent recall.
Hertel, P. T., & Rude, S. S. (1991) · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.120.3.301 · Cited by 201 · see citing works
Remembering with and without awareness in a depressed mood: Evidence of deficits in initiative.
Hertel, P. T., & Hardin, T. S. (1990) · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · doi:10.1037/0096-3445.119.1.45 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
Psychotherapy for subclinical depression: meta-analysis
Cuijpers, P., Koole, S. L., van Dijke, A., Roca, M., Li, J., & Reynolds, C. F. (2014) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.113.138784 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Arnett, P. A., Higginson, C. I., Voss, W. D., Wright, B. N., Bender, W. I., Wurst, J. M., & Tippin, J. (1999) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037/0894-4105.13.3.434 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
Alvaro, P. K., Roberts, R. M., & Harris, J. K. (2014) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2014.03.019 · Cited by 183 · see citing works
Kane, M. J., Poole, B. J., Tuholski, S. W., & Engle, R. W. (2006) · Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1037/0278-7393.32.4.749 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Intraindividual variability in performance as a theoretical window onto cognitive aging
Hultsch, D. F., & MacDonald, S. W. S. (2004) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525691.003.0004 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
Self-reported sleep quality predicts poor cognitive performance in healthy older adults.
Nebes, R., Buysse, D. J., Halligan, E., Houck, P. R., & Monk, T. (2009) · The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · doi:10.1093/geronb/gbn037 · Cited by 173 · see citing works
Chee, M. W. L., & Chuah, Y. M. L. (2007) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0610712104 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
The Number and Quality of Representations in Working Memory
Zhang, W., & Luck, S. J. (2011) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797611417006 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Self-citationVerstraeten, E., Cluydts, R., Pevernagie, D., & Hoffmann, G. (2004) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/27.4.685 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Depression in multiple sclerosis: Relationship to working memory capacity.
Arnett, P. A., Higginson, C. I., Voss, W. D., et al. (1999) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037/0894-4105.13.4.546 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Gold, J. M., Hahn, B., Zhang, W. W., Robinson, B. M., Kappenman, E. S., Beck, V. M., & Luck, S. J. (2010) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.65 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Self-citationMaglione, J. E., Ancoli‐Israel, S., Peters, K. W., Paudel, M. L., Yaffe, K. S., Ensrud, K. E., & Stone, K. L. (2014) · SLEEP · doi:10.5665/sleep.3834 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Age-related decline of precision and binding in visual working memory.
Peich, M.-C., Masud Husain, B., & Bays, P. M. (2013) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/a0033236 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Depression in the elderly: clinical features and risk factors.
Sözeri-Varma, G. (2012) · Europe PMC (PubMed Central) · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Effects of healthy ageing on precision and binding of object location in visual short term memory.
Pertzov, Y., Heider, M., Liang, Y., & Masud Husain, B. (2014) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/a0038396 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Familiarity increases the number of remembered Pokémon in visual short-term memory
Xie, W., & Zhang, W. (2016) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/s13421-016-0679-7 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Self-citationChee, M. W. L., Goh, C. S. F., Namburi, P., Parimal, S., Seidl, K. N., & Kastner, S. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.06.058 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Questions of age differences in interference control: When and how, not if?
Lustig, C., & Jantz, T. K. (2014) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2014.10.024 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Self-citationBerry, A. S., Demeter, E., Sabhapathy, S., English, B. A., Blakely, R., Sarter, M. F., & Lustig, C. (2014) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00607 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Self-citationNegative emotion boosts quality of visual working memory representation.
Xie, W.-Z., & Zhang, W.-W. (2016) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000159 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Self-citationFatigued breast cancer survivors: The role of sleep quality, depressed mood, stage and age
Banthia, R., Malcarne, V. L., Ko, C. M., Varni, J. W., & Sadler, G. R. (2008) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870440802110831 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
No age deficits in the ability to use attention to improve visual working memory.
Souza, A. S. (2016) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/pag0000107 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Xie, W., & Zhang, W. (2017) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/s13421-017-0739-7 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Self-citationDepressive thoughts limit working memory capacity in dysphoria
Hubbard, N. A., Hutchison, J. L., Turner, M. P., Montroy, J. J., Bowles, R. P., & Rypma, B. (2015) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2014.991694 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Normal aging increases discriminal dispersion in visuospatial short-term memory.
Noack, H., Lövdén, M., & Lindenberger, U. (2012) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/a0027251 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Association of Sleep Quality on Memory-Related Executive Functions in Middle Age
Rana, B. K., Panizzon, M. S., Franz, C. E., Spoon, K. M., Jacobson, K. C., Xian, H., Ancoli‐Israel, S., Lyons, M. J., & Kremen, W. S. (2017) · Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society · doi:10.1017/s1355617717000637 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Schizotypy is associated with reduced mnemonic precision in visual working memory
Xie, W., Cappiello, M., Park, H.-B., Deldin, P. J., Chan, R. C. K., & Zhang, W. (2017) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2017.07.046 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationKorten, N. C. M., Sliwinski, M. J., Comijs, H. C., & Smyth, J. M. (2014) · Applied Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1002/acp.3043 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
A suicidal mind tends to maintain less negative information in visual working memory
Xie, W., Li, H., Zou, Y.-M., Sun, X., & Shi, C. (2017) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.09.043 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Self-citationAffective bias in visual working memory is associated with capacity
Xie, W., Li, H., Ying, X., Zhu, S., Fu, R., Zou, Y.-M., & Cui, Y. (2016) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2016.1223020 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Self-citationFabiani, M., Zimmerman, B., & Gratton, G. (2015) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-801371-7.00011-9 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Wee, N., Asplund, C. L., & Chee, M. W. L. (2013) · Sleep · doi:10.5665/sleep.2710 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Lynn, S. K., Ibagon, C., Bui, É., Palitz, S. A., Simon, N. M., & Barrett, L. F. (2015) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000111 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Mellor, A., Waters, F., Olaithe, M., McGowan, H., & Bucks, R. S. (2013) · Behavioral Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1080/15402002.2013.801343 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
The impact of psychological disturbances on immediate memory
Adams, R. A., Stanczak, D. E., Leutzinger, M. R., et al. (2001) · Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology · doi:10.1093/arclin/16.6.605 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Can emotional content reduce the age gap in visual working memory? Evidence from two tasks
Bermudez, T., & Souza, A. S. (2016) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2016.1240066 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
The impact of psychological disturbances on immediate memory
Adams, R. (2001) · Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology · doi:10.1016/s0887-6177(00)00072-x · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Xie, W., Campbell, S., & Zhang, W. (2020) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2008868117 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Self-citationLight exposure behaviors predict mood, memory and sleep quality
Siraji, M. A., Spitschan, M., Kalavally, V., & Haque, S. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-39636-y · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Golding, J., Rallison, A., Zhang, K., Awan, A., Romero, F., Lacbain, J., Lee, S., Momand, S., Azer, L., & Zhang, W. (2025) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs15121748 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“Sleep quality, a known predictor of EF (Xie et al., 2019), is directly decreased by problematic phone usage (Cui et al., 2021).”
Self-citation
- Authors
- Xie, W., Berry, A., Lustig, C., Deldin, P., & Zhang, W.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Corresponding author
- Berry, Anne
- Zhang, Weiwei
- Venue
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2019-04-29
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 583-594
- ISSN
- 1355-6177 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7661
- PMC
- PMC6620134
- OpenAlex
- W2942801828
- Cited by
- 62
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 3.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Institutes of Health (Z99 NS999999)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH086530, R01MH117132)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Keywords
- sleep quality, visual working memory, working memory capacity, working memory precision, depressive mood, age effects, short-term recall, sleep deprivation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aging, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Middle Aged, Mental Recall, Sleep Wake Disorders, Visual Perception, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
