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Cited by 33Cognitive Abilities and TestingNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesMemory Processes and Influences

The stability of working memory: Do previous tasks influence complex span?

Healey, M. Karl, Hasher, Lynn, Danilova, Elena·2011·Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
DOI 10.1037/a0024587
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Abstract

Schmeichel (2007) reported that performing an initial task before completing a working memory span task can lower span scores and suggested that the effect was due to depleted cognitive resources. We showed that the detrimental effect of prior tasks depends on a match between the stimuli used in the span task and the preceding task. A task requiring participants to ignore words reduced performance on a subsequent word-based verbal span task but not on an arrow-based spatial span task. Ignoring arrows had the opposite pattern of effects: reducing performance on the spatial span task but not on the word-based span task. Finally, we showed that antisaccade, a nonverbal task that taxes domain-general processes implicated in working memory, did not influence subsequent performance of either a verbal or a spatial span task. Together these results suggest that while span is sensitive to prior tasks, that sensitivity does not stem from depleted resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

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  • Healey et al. (2011) showed that depletion effects only occurred when there was a match between the to-be-ignored stimuli in the first task and the to-be-remembered stimuli in the working memory task.

    “With regard to specific depletion effects, Healey et al. (2011) showed that depletion effects only occurred when there was a match between the to-be-ignored stimuli in the first task and the to-be-remembered stimuli in the working memory task.”

    From Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years Later (2019) · cites this paper as Healey et al. (2011)

  • Working memory resource depletion may be more likely when two tasks share common cognitive components.

    “There also is some evidence that working memory resource depletion may be more likely when two tasks share common cognitive components (Healey et al., 2011).”

    From Spacing and Interleaving Effects Require Distinct Theoretical Bases: a Systematic Review Testing the Cognitive Load and Discriminative-Contrast Hypotheses (2021) · cites this paper as Healey et al., 2011

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Authors
Healey, M. K., Hasher, L., & Danilova, E.
Affiliations
University of Toronto (CA)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2011
Volume
140
Issue
4
Pages
573-585
ISSN
  • 0096-3445 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-2222
DOI
10.1037/a0024587
OpenAlex
W2043852927
Cited by
33
References
77
Citations by year
2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
FWCI
2.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology General (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Keywords
working memory, complex span, task interference, cognitive depletion, verbal span, spatial span, antisaccade task, stimulus matching, attentional control
MeSH terms
Adult, Attention, Cognition, Humans, Memory, Short-Term, Psychological Tests, Mental Recall, Visual Perception, Young Adult

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