ERIC Number: EJ903610
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0278-2626
EISSN: N/A
Working Memory and Mental Arithmetic: A Case for Dual Central Executive Resources
Ketelsen, Kirk; Welsh, Marilyn
Brain and Cognition, v74 n3 p203-209 Dec 2010
The current study was designed to examine the possible existence of two limited-capacity pools of central executive resources: one each for verbal and visuospatial processing. Ninety-one college students (M age = 19.0, SD = 2.2) were administered a verbal working memory task that involved updating numbers in 2-, 3-, and 4-load conditions. The task was administered in both single task (no-interference condition) and dual-task (verbal interference and visuospatial interference conditions) formats. Findings indicated main effects for both memory load and type of interference, as well as, a load x interference interaction. Verbal interference led to a steeper increase in errors on the primary verbal working memory task; whereas, there was a smaller increase in errors across load in both the non-verbal and no-interference conditions. The effect of verbal interference and the lack of a spatial interference effect on a primary task that utilized verbal working memory resources, suggests that the processing of verbal and spatial stimuli in a dual-task paradigm requires separate central executive resources. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Mental Computation, Short Term Memory, Recall (Psychology), Arithmetic, Neurological Organization, Visual Perception, Spatial Ability, Verbal Ability, Cognitive Processes, College Students, Numbers, Verbal Communication, Stimuli, Verbal Stimuli, Brain
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A