工作记忆中的语音回路与阅读理解的关系

语音回路是Baddeley和Hitch在1974年提出的工作记忆模型中的一个成分。由于语音回路本身的特点,人们联想到它可能和阅读理解这种复杂的认知活动有关系。为此,一些研究者从不同的角度,采用各种研究范式对这一问题进行了探讨。到目前为止,已有的大部分研究都支持语音回路对于阅读理解有作用,但也有少数研究不支持该观点。另外,对于语音回路影响阅读理解的机制问题,也存在着不一致的观点。     

Working Memory Capacity and Self-Repair Behavior in First and Second Language Oral Production

This study explores the relationship between working memory capacity and self-repair behavior in first (L1) and second language (L2) oral production. 40 Iranian intermediate EFL learners participated in this study. Their working memory capacity was measured via a version of listening span test. The participants performed two oral narrative tasks, one in their L2 (English) and one in their L1 (Farsi). Then, they were asked to listen to their own narrations and comment on the repairs they made in their speech. Self-repairs were analyzed and categorized taking into account the participants’ stimulated recall comments. Results of the analyses pointed to positive correlations between the participants’ working memory capacity and self-repairs in the L2 but not in the L1. Also, results revealed that whereas in the case of L1, the participants effectuated different-information and appropriacy repairs more than error-repairs, in the case of L2 more error-repairs were made.     

Phonological and Lexical-Semantic Short-Term Memory and their Relationship to Sentence Production in Older Adults

Evidence from brain-damaged patients suggests a link between lexical-semantic retention capacity and sentence production. The present study seeks to establish whether lexical-semantic retention capacity changes with normal aging, and whether individual differences in this capacity predict the degree of increased difficulty older speakers have producing sentences with two-noun initial phrases, relative to those with one-noun initial phrases, elicited in a picture naming task. Older adults performed significantly better than younger adults on one of two tests of lexical-semantic retention, and performed similarly to younger adults on tests of phonological retention. Lexical-semantic capacity, but not phonological capacity, predicted the size of the initial phrase complexity effect in older adults. Results suggest that lexical-semantic retention ability is preserved in normal aging and does play a role in sentence production.     

Phonological Working Memory and Spoken Language Development in Young Children

This study investigated the relationship between phonological working memory and spoken language development in a large unselected sample of 4- and 5-year old children. Assessments were made of the language produced by the children on the Bus Story (Renfrew, 1969), a standard test of continuous speech. In this test, children listen to a story, which they then recount with the aid of visual clues. The amount of information recalled and the average length of the five longest utterances are taken as indices of children's expressive language abilities. Phonological working memory skills were indexed by memory span and the ability to repeat non-words. The ability to repeat non-words made a significant contribution to the variance in the children's speech independently of age, vocabulary knowledge, and nonverbal cognitive skills. The possible mechanisms by which skills assessed by phonological memory tasks may be linked to the development of speech production abilities are considered.     

Components of Short-Term Memory and Their Relation to Language Processing

Abstract— Verbal working memory consists of separable capacities for the retention of phonological and semantic information. Within the phonological domain, there are independent capacities for retaining input-phonological codes and output-phonological codes. The input-phonological capacity does not appear to be critical for language comprehension but is involved in verbatim repetition and long-term learning of new words. The semantic capacity is critical for both comprehension and production and for the learning of new semantic information. Different neural structures appear to underlie these capacities, with a left-parietal region involved in input-phonological retention and a left-frontal region involved in semantic retention.     

Phonological Memory and L2 Vocabulary Learning in a Narrated Story Task

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - The objective of this study was to explore the role played by phonological memory (PM) in the learning of new second language (L2) vocabulary presented in a...     

The Effects of Phonological Short-Term Memory and Speech Perception on Spoken Sentence Comprehension in Children: Simulating Deficits in an Experimental Design

The roles of phonological short-term memory (pSTM) and speech perception in spoken sentence comprehension were examined in an experimental design. Deficits in pSTM and speech perception were simulated through task demands while typically-developing children (N \(=\) 71) completed a sentence-picture matching task. Children performed the control, simulated pSTM deficit, simulated speech perception deficit, or simulated double deficit condition. On long sentences, the double deficit group had lower scores than the control and speech perception deficit groups, and the pSTM deficit group had lower scores than the control group and marginally lower scores than the speech perception deficit group. The pSTM and speech perception groups performed similarly to groups with real deficits in these areas, who completed the control condition. Overall, scores were lowest on noncanonical long sentences. Results show pSTM has a greater effect than speech perception on sentence comprehension, at least in the tasks employed here.     

工作记忆与小学生文本产生、书写活动的关系

以小学三、六年级学生为被试,考察工作记忆与小学生文本产生、书写活动之间的关系。结果表明．工作记忆中的储存、加工功能对小学生写作的影响不同,储存功能主要与书写活动有关,加工功能主要与文本产生有关,储存与加工相对独立。随年级增长,小学生工作记忆的加工水平逐步提高。     

Random Generation and the Executive Control of Working Memory

A series of experiments explores the capacity for generating sequences of random responses, relating it to the central executive component of working memory. Experiment 1 shows a broadly similar pattern of redundancy increasing with speed of generation for both the verbal generation of digits and the manual pressing of keys. In both cases deviations from randomness are shown to reflect the increasing use of a limited number of stereotyped response sets. The remaining experiments use keyboard generation. Experiment 2 demonstrates that concurrent immediate serial recall decreases randomness, and that longer recall sequences produce less random output. Experiments 3 and 4 show that whereas simple counting has no effect on randomness, serial recall, semantic category generation, and concurrent digit generation have substantial effects, and a concurrent fluid intelligence test has the greatest influence on the randomness of key pressing. It is suggested that the task of random generation resembles that of category fluency because it requires the subject to switch retrieval plans and inhibit repetition. On this basis it is predicted that a task involving repeated switching of categories will interfere with generation, despite being predictable and having a low memory load. Experiments 5 and 6 confirm this prediction. Strengths and limitations of the switching hypothesis are discussed, as are the implications of our results for the analysis of executive processes.     

工作记忆中的语音回路对汉语阅读理解的影响

语音回路是工作记忆中一个重要的组成部分,主要负责加工和存储语音信息。采用混合实验设计,以正确数和反应时 为指标,汉语语篇为阅读材料,探讨工作记忆中的语音回路对汉语阅读理解的影响。本研究包括两个实验,实验一采用发音抑制的范式,结合错误干扰考察了语音回路中的发音复述装置对汉语阅读理解的影响;实验二采用无关言语的范式,结合错误干扰考察了语音回路中的语音存储装置对汉语阅读理解的影响。结果表明：(1)通过发音抑制和无关言语的方法证明,语音回路中的发音复述装置和语音存储装置在汉语阅读理解中起着重要作用。(2) 字音和字形都影响汉语的阅读理解,但字形比字音起着更大的作用,而且它们的作用机制也不相同,字音直接进入语音存储装置,而字形要经过字音的转换进入语音存储装置。(3) 词频与语音回路有密切关系,语音回路中的发音复述装置的作用在高频词上有明显的表现。(4) 词频与字形、字音也有密切关系,在低频词的条件下,字形的作用大于字音的作用     

第二语言语义提取中的工作记忆效应

本文报告一项针对工作记忆容量是否制约中国英语学习者第二语言语义提取效率的实验。实验考查了工作记忆广度中的个体差异是否抑制学习者对第二语言单词语义信息的提取问题,还探索了工作记忆广度和第二语言词汇知识水平的相关性。研究以通用容量工作记忆模型为基础,采用运算广度的工作记忆测试,得出工作记忆广度对单词语义信息的提取没有显著抑制作用的结果。结果还显示工作记忆广度与第二语言词汇知识水平之间没有显著的线性关系。     

工作记忆广度与自我损耗的关系

以往研究表明,工作记忆能力高的个体在自我控制方面也表现得更好,通过考察工作记忆广度（working memory span, WMS）与自我损耗的关系,有助于揭示这种现象的内在机制。66名被试随机分为损耗组和控制组,采用自动化操作广度测验测量WMS。双任务实验中,任务一为情绪抑制任务,任务二为Stroop任务。结果发现,损耗组的Stroop效应明显高于控制组。进一步分析显示,损耗组中高WMS被试的自我损耗效应要强于低WMS被试,此结果表明：高WMS个体在自我控制任务中表现得更好并不是因为固有的自我控制能量水平更高,而是因为他们倾向于在自我控制过程中投入更多能量。     

Differential Effects of Ecstasy on Short-Term and Working Memory: A Meta-Analysis

Quantitative analysis of studies examining the effect of ecstasy on short-term and working memory in the verbal and visuo-spatial domain was undertaken. Thirty verbal short-term memory, 22 verbal working memory, 12 visuospatial short-term memory and 9 visuospatial working memory studies met inclusion criteria. Ecstasy users performed significantly worse in all memory domains, both in studies using drug-naïve controls and studies using polydrug controls. These results are consistent with previous meta-analytic findings that ecstasy use is associated with impaired short-term memory function. Lifetime ecstasy consumption predicted effect size in working memory but not in short-term memory. The current meta-analysis adds to the literature by showing that ecstasy use in humans is also associated with impaired working memory, and that this impairment is related to total lifetime ecstasy consumption. These findings highlight the long-term, cumulative behavioral consequences associated with ecstasy use in humans.     

Investigating the Relationship Between Attention and Working Memory in Clinical and Community Samples

The first aim of the present study was to investigate whether differences in core deficits in ADHD subtypes lead to dissociable working memory profiles. The second aim was to compare the working memory profiles of inattentive students with those identified as having poor working memory, as they exhibit very similar behavioral profiles. Finally, the relationship between working memory and academic attainment in these groups were also of interest. Four groups of 9-year-olds were recruited: a community sample of children with inattentive symptoms, a clinically diagnosed group of children with ADHD-Combined, children with low working memory, and a healthy comparison group. They were assessed on measures of working memory, IQ, academic attainment, and sustained attention. The findings indicated that the combined and inattentive subtypes could not be distinguished on the basis of their working memory profile. In contrast, those with inattentive symptoms did better on the short-term memory tasks than the low working memory group. The majority of all three atypical groups performed very poorly in reading and math. This pattern can be interpreted as reflecting the link between working memory and academic attainment, even in those with attention problems.     

The Measurement of Verbal Working Memory Capacity and Its Relation to Reading Comprehension

Ninety-four subjects were tested on the Daneman and Carpenter (1980) reading span task, four versions of a related sentence span task in which reaction times and accuracy on sentence processing were measured along with sentence-final word recall, two number generation tasks designed to test working memory, digit span, and two shape-generation tasks designed to measure visual-spatial working memory. Forty-four subjects were retested on a subset of these measures at a 3-month interval. All subjects were tested on standard vocabulary and reading tests. Correlational analyses showed better internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the sentence span tasks than of the Daneman-Carpenter reading span task. Factor analysis showed no factor that could be related to a central verbal working memory; rotated factors suggested groupings of tests into factors that correspond to digitrelated tasks, spatial tasks, sentence processing in sentence span tasks, and recall in sentence span tasks. Correlational analyses and regression analyses showed that the sentence processing component of the sentence span tasks was the best predictor of performance on the reading test, with a small independent contribution of the recall component. The results suggest that sentence span tasks are unreliable unless measurements are made of both their sentence processing and recall components, and that the predictive value of these tasks for reading comprehension abilities lies in the overlap of operations rather than in limitations in verbal working memory that apply to both.     

Interplay between Creativity,Executive Function and Working Memory in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Studies reveal inconclusive evidence of the relationship between executive function and creativity. Further, there is a dearth of studies investigating creativity in older adults in the Indian context. Three tests—namely, Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (Figural), the Stroop Test, and Mental Balance (PGI memory scale)—were administered on a sample of 58 middle-aged and older adults (50–64 years). Analysis revealed a significant correlation between creativity and executive function (r_s = ?.35). Mann-Whitney U confirmed that individuals who were above average on creativity performed significantly better on executive function. However, there was an insignificant relationship between creativity and working memory, as well as between working memory and executive function. Further, no age decline nor gender differences were found except for speed of processing, which decreased with increase with age. These findings might aid in planning interventions and cognitive retraining exercises for individuals of the same age bracket by targeting their creative strengths. Academically, they can contribute to understanding the cognitive processes underlying creativity and can further help create norms in the Indian context.     

数学学习困难初中生的记忆广度特点

记忆广度包括短时记忆广度和工作记忆广度,为揭示数学学习困难学生认知缺损特点,筛选103名初中生（平均年龄12.57岁）,比较数学困难学生（49名）与数学优秀学生（54名）的记忆广度差异,通过词语系列任务、阅读广度任务以及倒背数字任务,分别测查了短时记忆、言语工作记忆以及数字工作记忆。结果发现,数困组与优秀组的学生在词语系列任务中没有显著差异（t＝-1.59, p>.05）,在阅读广度任务中,具有显著差异（t＝-2.38, p<.05）,在倒背数字任务中具有极其显著的差异（t＝-4.69, p<.01）。阅读广度和倒背数字之间具有显著相关(r=.24, p<.05),词语系列任务与阅读广度(r=.19, p>.05)和倒背数字任务(r=.05, p>.05)之间不存在显著相关。研究表明,在具有干扰情况的任务更能有效预测数学成绩,数学学习困难的认知缺损主要是对抗干扰的能力不足,而非简单的短时记忆广度。