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| Research article summary (published 30 Dec 2001): |
Working memory and the suppression of reflexive saccades.
Full Abstract
Conscious behavioral intentions can frequently fail under conditions of attentional depletion. In attempting to trace the cognitive origin of this effect, we hypothesized that failures of action control--specifically, oculomotor movement--can result from the imposition of fronto-executive load. To evaluate this prediction, participants performed an antisaccade task while simultaneously completing a working-memory task that is known to make variable demands on prefrontal processes (n-back task, see Jonides et al., 1997). The results of two experiments are reported. As expected, antisaccade error rates were increased in accordance with the fronto-executive demands of the n-back task (Experiment 1). In addition, the debilitating effects of working-memory load were restricted to the inhibitory component of the antisaccade task (Experiment 2). These findings corroborate the view that working memory operations play a critical role in the suppression of prepotent behavioral responses.
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Author information
Author/s: Mitchell, Jason P (JP); Macrae, C Neil (CN); Gilchrist, Iain D (ID);
Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. jmitchel@wjh.harvard.edu
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Journal: Journal of cognitive neuroscience (J Cogn Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-Jan; vol 14 (issue 1) : pp 95-103
Dates: Created 2002/01/18; Completed 2002/03/22; Revised 2006/11/15;
PMID: 11798390, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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