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Working memory capacity and the scope and control of attention
Open accessAbstract
Complex span and visual arrays are two common measures of working memory capacity that are respectively treated as measures of attention control and storage capacity. A recent analysis of these tasks concluded that (1) complex span performance has a relatively stronger relationship to fluid intelligence and (2) this is due to the requirement that people engage control processes while performing this task. The present study examines the validity of these conclusions by examining two large data sets that include a more diverse set of visual arrays tasks and several measures of attention control. We conclude that complex span and visual arrays account for similar amounts of variance in fluid intelligence. The disparity relative to the earlier analysis is attributed to the present study involving a more complete measure of the latent ability underlying the performance of visual arrays. Moreover, we find that both types of working memory task have strong relationships to attention control. This indicates that the ability to engage attention in a controlled manner is a critical aspect of working memory capacity, regardless of the type of task that is used to measure this construct.
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“These two domains are empirically and conceptually related, however, and it remains to be seen whether shared dependence on executive attention or other cognitive capacities further simplifies this picture.57”
From Working Memory and Vigilance as Multivariate Endophenotypes Related to Common Genetic Risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (2018) · cites this paper as [57]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Shipstead, Z., Harrison, T. L., & Engle, R. W.
- Affiliations
- Arizona State University (US)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Shipstead, Zach
- ORCID
- Engle, Randall W.
- Venue
- Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics
- Published
- 2015-04-25
- Volume
- 77
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1863-1880
- ISSN
- 1943-3921 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-393X
- OpenAlex
- W2064044626
- Cited by
- 132
- References
- 81
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 24.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Attention Perception & Psychophysics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Office of Naval Research (N00014-12-1-1011, N00014-12-1, N00014-12, N00014, N00014-12-1-0406)
- Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- working memory capacity, complex span, fluid intelligence, attentional control, storage capacity, latent ability
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Attention, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Visual Perception, Young Adult
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