Physiological Underpinnings of Attention Control, Working Memory Capacity, and Fluid Intelligence: The Role of the Locus Coeruleus
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 multitasking and reading comprehension to the ability to learn how to program a computer (Hambrick et al., 2010; Shute, 1991; Turner & Engle, 1989). Although research on individual differences in working memory capacity has shed light on the specific cognitive components involved, the physiological basis for these individual differences remains unclear. Our proposed research seeks to investigate the relationship between working memory capacity, attention control, fluid intelligence, and the functioning of the locus coeruleus system in the brain. Locus coeruleus activity is strongly linked with pupil dilation (Aston-Jones & Cohen, 2005); we plan to test whether measures of working memory capacity, attention control, and fluid intelligence correlate with baseline pupil diameter. Additionally, we will test whether on-line monitoring of pupil dilation and constriction can be used to identify attentional lapses, and whether attention warnings based on pupillometry can mitigate performance decrements attributable to attentional lapses. The proposed research seeks to explain working memory capacity and its links to attention control and fluid intelligence at the physiological level using noninvasive indicators of locus coeruleus functioning.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 06, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112327
Entities
People
- Randall Engle
Organizations
- Georgia Tech Research Corporation
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy