Individual differences in working memory and attentional control continue to predict memory performance despite extensive learning.
Zhao, C., & Vogel, E. K. (2025). Individual differences in working memory and attentional control continue to predict memory performance despite extensive learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001728
Abstract
Individual differences in working memory predict a wide range of cognitive abilities. However, little research has been done on whether working memory continues to predict task performance after repetitive learning. Here, we tested whether working memory ability continued to predict long-term memory (LTM) performance for picture sequences even after participants showed massive learning. In Experiments 1–3, subjects performed a source memory task in which they were presented a sequence of 30 objects shown in one of four quadrants and then were tested on each item’s position. We repeated this procedure for five times in Experiment 1 and 12 times in Experiments 2 and 3. Interestingly, we discovered that individual differences in working memory continually predicted LTM accuracy across all repetitions. In Experiment 4, we replicated the stable working memory demands with word pairs. In Experiment 5, we generalized the stable working memory demands model to attentional control abilities. Together, these results suggest that people, instead of relying less on working memory, optimized their working memory and attentional control throughout learning.
Working memory ability predicts various cognitive abilities. However, whether its predictive power remains after participants repetitively study the test materials remains unknown. Here, in five experiments with visual and verbal materials, we found that individual differences in working memory and attentional control (WMAC) constantly predicted people’s memory performance even after extensive training of the same materials. Our results provided a new understanding of WMAC, in that learning may better tune participants’ attention and working memory toward task demands, instead of eliminating the reliance on attentional control in performing tasks.
