Variation in working memory capacity and cognitive control: Goal maintenance and microadjustments of control

Unsworth, Nash; Redick, Thomas S.; Spillers, Gregory J.; Brewer, Gene A.

doi:10.1080/17470218.2011.597865

Cited by 88 publications

(115 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(160 reference statements)

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“…Improvements in working memory functioning for persons with ADHD are particularly relevant, as they may address not only the well-documented behavioral and neural working memory impairments found in ADHD (e.g., for more detail see Fassbender et al [56], Schoechlin and Engel [57], Martinussen et al [58], Willcutt et al [59], Mills et al [60], Rapport et al [61], and Bolden et al [62]), but also some attentional control issues, as working memory capacity is, at least in part, related to degree of distractibility and cognitive control [63,64]. Thus, improvements in working memory, or conversely attentional control, may benefit the alternative, related process.…”

Section: Working Memory Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Training Cognition in ADHD: Current Findings, Borrowed Concepts, and Future Directions

et al. 2012

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With both its high prevalence and myriad of negative outcomes, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) demands a careful consideration of the efficacy of its treatment options. Although the benefits of medication have a robust empirical background, nonpharmaceutical interventions evoke particular interest, as they are often viewed more favorably by parents. This review pays special attention to the use of working memory and recent cognitive training attempts in ADHD, describing its cognitive, behavioral, and biological effects in relation to current neurological theory of the disorder. While these treatments have demonstrated positive effects on some measures, there are limitations, as studies have failed to demonstrate generalization to critical measures, such as teacher-rated classroom behaviors, and have provided limited but growing evidence of functionally significant improvements in behavior. There is also a clear lack of research on the effects of training on reward systems and self-control. These limitations may be addressed by broadening the scope and procedures of the training and incorporating research concepts from other fields of study. First, it is important to consider the developmental trajectories of brain regions in individuals with the disorder, as they may relate to the effectiveness of cognitive training. Notions from behavioral economics, including delay discounting and framing (i.e., context) manipulations that influence present orientation, also have applications in the study of cognitive training in ADHD. In considering these other domains, we may find new ways to conceptualize and enhance cognitive training in ADHD and, in turn, address current limitations of interventions that fall in this category.Keywords Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder . Treatment . Working memory training . Nonpharmacological . Delay discounting Need for Improved Treatments in ADHDAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a critical public health concern, given that it is the most common childhood behavioral disorder, with prevalence rates of at least 5 % [1,2]. ADHD is associated with negative outcomes in academic achievement, including lower reading and math achievement scores [3][4][5][6][7], lower high school completion rates [8] and an alarmingly high use of special education services [9]. Significantly elevated rates of antisocial behavior, increased arrests, and greater substance abuse exist in adolescents and adults with ADHD [9][10][11]. This constellation of negative outcomes underscores the need for additional ADHD treatments.There continues to be a great need to identify more effective and adjunctive interventions for ADHD. This is particularly true, given that current treatments do not appear to have long-term benefits once the intervention has been stopped. Some of the most compelling results on this issue come from the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD [12,13], the most comprehensive treatment study of ADHD to date. The study reported initial positive effects of med...

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Section: Working Memory Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Training Cognition in ADHD: Current Findings, Borrowed Concepts, and Future Directions

et al. 2012

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“…There is a large and consistent body of research to indicate that individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) refl ect basic differences in cognitive control (Engle & Kane, 2004;review in Barrett, Tugade & Engle, 2004). Nevertheless, Unsworth, Redick, Spillers and Brewer (2012) showed that variation in WMC was related to some, but not all, cognitive control operations. WMC was related to active maintenance of the goal measured by response time distributions in Stroop task and antisaccade task.…”

Section: Executive Attention and Rifmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Derryberry & Reed, 2002) and the research on the relationship between WM and executive attention (Unsworth, Redick, Spillers & Brewer, 2012). Even if the theoretical accuracy of ACS were acceptable, the diffi cult problem of a the retrievalinduced forgetting reliability and stability of individual differences in AC has remained opened.…”

Section: Is It Correct To Use Acs For Measuring Individual Differencementioning

confidence: 99%

Attentional Control and Retrieval Induced Forgetting Self-regulation Perspective

Kolańczyk¹,

Reszko²,

Mordasiewicz³

2013

Polish Psychological Bulletin

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Retrieval Induced Forgetting (RIF) refers to the fi nding that the retrieval of some items from memory (RP+) impairs the retrieval of related items (RP-). The RIF effect is indicated by a comparison of RP-with unrelated but also tobe-remembered items (NRP). Since RIF appears during intentional memorizing of words, therefore we checked whether it depends on attentional control (AC) involved in goal maintenance, and also if implicit evaluations of to-be-remembered (RP) contents moderate this process (causing e.g. inhibition). In three experiments, each including AC as the independent

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“…Apart from maintaining and updating goals (formulated by many authors), Cohen et al also mention conflict detection and monitoring (e.g., activating distinct responses to the same stimulus, like colored lettering in the Stroop task), as well as control micro-adjustment for repetitive task requirements (e.g., the decrease in response time in the case of incongruence between word color and meaning in the Stroop task for subsequent incongruent trials). The choice of these particular EFs was dictated by their suitability for the scope of our empirical studies considering the role of affect, as well as by the applicability of experimental results on the resource consumption associated with these EFs (Unsworth, Redick, Spillers & Brewer, 2012) to explaining the role of affective operations. These studies will be discussed later.…”

Section: Affective-cognitive Mechanisms Of Executive Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the meantime, I will proceed to analyze how affect participates in sequential conflict adjustment (also known as "control micro-adjustment;" Unsworth et al, 2012), which can be inferred from the Stroop task.…”

Section: The Role Of Negative Affect In Conflict-monitoring and Respomentioning

confidence: 99%

When Affect Supports Cognitive Control – A Working Memory Perspective

Kolańczyk

2016

Polish Psychological Bulletin

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attention (EF1), whereas negative affect activates the inhibition of non-functional contents, e.g., distractors and irrelevant objects (resulting in attention disengagement; EF2). Adaptation to conflict proceeds via sequential triggering of negative and positive affect (EF3). Moreover, it was demonstrated that the focus on action orreflection changes the scope of contents subjected to implicit (affective) control. Therefore, I suggest that the motivational system, to a large extent, plays the role of the Central Executive. The paper opens a discussion and proposes studies on affective mechanisms of cognitive control.

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Variation in working memory capacity and cognitive control: Goal maintenance and microadjustments of control

Cited by 88 publications

References 65 publications

Training Cognition in ADHD: Current Findings, Borrowed Concepts, and Future Directions

Training Cognition in ADHD: Current Findings, Borrowed Concepts, and Future Directions

Attentional Control and Retrieval Induced Forgetting Self-regulation Perspective

When Affect Supports Cognitive Control – A Working Memory Perspective

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