Complex Span Versus Updating Tasks of Working Memory: The Gap Is Not That Deep

How to best measure working memory capacity is an issue of ongoing debate. Besides established complex span tasks, which combine short-term memory demands with generally unrelated secondary tasks, there exists a set of paradigms characterized by continuous and simultaneous updating of several items in working memory, such as the n-back, memory updating, or alpha span tasks. With a latent variable analysis (N = 96) based on content-heterogeneous operationalizations of both task families, the authors found a latent correlation between a complex span factor and an updating factor that was not statistically different from unity (r = .96). Moreover, both factors predicted fluid intelligence (reasoning) equally well. The authors conclude that updating tasks measure working memory equally well as complex span tasks. Processes involved in building, maintaining, and updating arbitrary bindings may constitute the common working memory ability underlying performance on reasoning, complex span, and updating tasks.

Hildebrandt, Andrea (författare)
Lövdén, MartinLund University,Lunds universitet,Institutionen för psykologi,Samhällsvetenskapliga institutioner och centrumbildningar,Samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteten,Department of Psychology,Departments of Administrative, Economic and Social Sciences,Faculty of Social Sciences(Swepub:lu)psyc-mnl (författare)
Wilhelm, Oliver (författare)
Lindenberger, Ulman (författare)
Institutionen för psykologiSamhällsvetenskapliga institutioner och centrumbildningar (creator_code:org_t)

Ingår i:Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition: American Psychological Association (APA)35:4, s. 1089-10960278-73931939-1285

Av författaren/redakt...: Schmiedek, Flori ...; Hildebrandt, And ...; Lövdén, Martin; Wilhelm, Oliver; Lindenberger, Ul ...

Om ämnet

Kungliga biblioteket hanterar dina personuppgifter i enlighet med EU:s dataskyddsförordning (2018), GDPR. Läs mer om hur det funkar här.
Så här hanterar KB dina uppgifter vid användning av denna tjänst.