The Physiological Underpinnings of Working Memory Capacity: The Role of the Locus Coeruleus
Abstract
Abstract Individual differences in working memory capacity, the ability to maintain information in memory in the presence of interference, predicts many important real-world outcomes from reading comprehension to the ability to learn how to program a computer (Shute, 1991; Turner & Engle, 1989). While research has demonstrated the specific cognitive component that underlie working memory capacity, researchers still do not completely understand the physiological basis of working memory capacity. In the research we propose, we plan to examine the relationship between working memory capacity and the functioning of the locus coeruleus system in the brain. Because locus coeruleus activity is strongly linked with pupil dilation (Aston-Jones & Cohen, 2005), we plan to examine whether measures of working memory capacity correlate with baseline pupil diameter. Additionally, we plan on examining whether a particular electrophysiological component which has been linked to locus coeruleus functioning (i.e., P300) is related to working memory capacity. The proposed research aims to explain working memory capacity at the physiological level using noninvasive indicators of locus coeruleus functioning.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 22, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141512901
Entities
People
- Randall Engle
Organizations
- Georgia Tech Research Corporation
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy