The use of working memory for task prediction: What benefits accrue from different types of foreknowledge?

The assumption that the deployment of executive processes invariably improves task performance is implicit to cognitive theory. In particular, working memory can be used to retain and update historical information about predictable trial sequences (foreknowledge) so that subjects can anticipate and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience 2006-01, Vol.139 (1), p.385-392
Main Authors: Barton, J.J.S., Kuzin, A., Polli, F., Manoach, D.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Brain - physiology
Cognition - physiology
foreknowledge
Humans
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Models, Neurological
Neuropsychological Tests
prediction
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Reaction Time - physiology
saccade
Saccades - physiology
task-switch
working memory
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Summary:The assumption that the deployment of executive processes invariably improves task performance is implicit to cognitive theory. In particular, working memory can be used to retain and update historical information about predictable trial sequences (foreknowledge) so that subjects can anticipate and prepare for the upcoming trial more effectively. We review the effects of different types of foreknowledge on response accuracy and latency, particularly in relation to experiments investigating saccadic eye movements in humans. While it is possible to make all aspects of an impending trial predictable, varying the predictability of different components of the trial independently can reveal which cognitive operations are potentially modifiable by foreknowledge. These operations include stimulus processing, retrieval of task-set rules, and response preparation, among others. The available data suggest that, while response preparation can be completed and the response even executed before the stimulus appears (i.e. anticipation) when the subject possesses complete task-foreknowledge (knowing both the stimulus to appear and the response required), foreknowledge of the task-set alone does not permit advance configuration of the task-set rules. A taxonomy for foreknowledge is proposed, including foreknowledge for timing, stimulus, set, response, and task. Work on differentiating these effects in neurophysiology, neuroimaging, and neuropsychology is still in the early stages.
ISSN:0306-4522
1873-7544
DOI:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.10.001