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Causes of Interference: Working Memory and Distraction
| Title: | Causes of Interference: Working Memory and Distraction |
| Author: | Larcada, Liana |
| Abstract: | Working memory accounts for various types of cognitive processing, including object and spatial processing. Distraction has been demonstrated to be domain-specific with the strongest interference coming from a distractor within the same realm of processing. Emotional distractors also typically generate a strong interference effect. Using an n-back working memory task for object and spatial working memory, we tested type of distractor (erotic, negative and neutral) and phase of working memory (maintenance and encode/retrieval). We found that object working memory was the most affected by these distractors. We also found that erotic images produced the strongest interference effect and distraction in the encode/retrieval phases caused decreased performance. This study further confirms the domain-specificity of working memory and makes inferences regarding emotion theory and cognitive interference. |
| LCSH Subject: |
Cognitive psychology
Distraction (Psychology) Short-term memory Emotions and cognition. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1803/4725 |
| Date: | 2011-02-06 |
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