Working memory, attention control, and the n-back task: A question of construct validity.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro · Princeton University · +1 more institution
Abstract
The N-back task requires participants to decide whether each stimulus in a sequence matches the one that appeared n items ago. Although N-back has become a standard "executive" working memory (WM) measure in cognitive neuroscience, it has been subjected to few behavioral tests of construct validity. A combined experimental- correlational study tested the attention-control demands of verbal 2- and 3-back tasks by presenting n = 1 "lure" foils. Lures elicited more false alarms than control foils in both 2- and 3-back tasks, and lures caused more misses to targets that immediately followed them compared with control targets, but only in 3-back tasks. N-back thus challenges control over familiarity-based…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 7.31
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 45
Authors
4Topics & keywords
- Psychology
- Working memory
- Memory span
- Construct validity
- Cognitive psychology
- n-back
- Construct (python library)
- Cognition