Why is working memory performance unstable? A review of 21 factors

Abstract

In this paper, we systematically reviewed twenty-one factors that have been shown to either vary with or influence performance on working memory (WM) tasks. Specifically, we review previous work on the influence of intelligence, gender, age, personality, mental illnesses/medical conditions, dieting, craving, stress/anxiety, emotion/motivation, stereotype threat, temperature, mindfulness training, practice, bilingualism, musical training, altitude/hypoxia, sleep, exercise, diet, psychoactive substances, and brain stimulation on WM performance. In addition to a review of the literature, we suggest several frameworks for classifying these factors, identify shared mechanisms between several variables, and suggest areas requiring further investigation. This review critically examines the breadth of research investigating WM while synthesizing the results across related subfields in psychology.

Pengaruh Tipe Kepribadian dan Jenis Stimulus Flanker terhadap Performansi Fungsi Eksekutif dan Akurasi Memori Kerja

“…Proses "jual-beli" informasi terjadi dibagian ini. Baik memori kerja (Blasiman & Was, 2018) atau fungsi eksekutif (Thiego, Testa, Bellgrove, Pantelis, & Whittle, 2018) memiliki peran vital dalam proses sehari-hari, mereka juga sebagai penanda sehat atau tidaknya aspek kognitif dalam manusia karena bagian dari high order functioning cognitive yang memiliki "antar muka" dengan variabel lain seperti kepribadian, gender, emosi dan bahkan stereotipe.…”

Changes in Working Memory Performance Over an Academic Semester in Student Pharmacists

“…Given the essential role of working memory capacity in cognition and learning, extensive research has focused on factors that impair working memory capacity, as well as elements that might influence individual differences in performance. 1,9,10 As such, we sought to explore how working memory capacity changes throughout a semester in pharmacy school as it may impact student learning.…”

“…In the general population, stress and fatigue have been identified as two factors that can lower working memory performance. 9,[11][12][13][14][15] We use the term working memory performance instead of working memory capacity because working memory capacity may change over a person's lifespan, 16 while performance may fluctuate throughout the day or between days depending on contextual factors. That is, an individual's capacity may be stationary over a relatively short time period (eg, an academic semester) but his/her ability to utilize the full working memory capacity may vary daily based on factors such as stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, anxiety, and medication use.…”

“…That is, an individual's capacity may be stationary over a relatively short time period (eg, an academic semester) but his/her ability to utilize the full working memory capacity may vary daily based on factors such as stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, anxiety, and medication use. 9 However, while the literature has demonstrated that various factors can impact performance, research on the potential change in working memory performance over the course of a semester is lacking in the academic literature. These changes might be very salient in healthcare professional students who experience fluctuating levels of stress and fatigue.…”

“…20 Additionally, fatigue induced by sustained work on cognitive tasks was found to be associated with impairment in executive function, which is higher-level cognitive skills used to control and coordinate other cognitive abilities and behaviors. 8,9,12 As an example, a study in undergraduate students examined the impact of mental fatigue on executive function by using both complex and simple working memory tasks. The students in the induced fatigue group performed worse on tasks that were related to executive control (complex tasks) in that they made significantly more errors and had slower reaction times; importantly, there was no observed difference between the groups on a simple memory span task.…”