Kolata Stefan, Light Kenneth, Grossman Henya C, Hale Gregory, Matzel Louis D
Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
Learn Mem. 2007 Jan-Feb;14(1):22-8. doi: 10.1101/lm.408507.
A single factor (i.e., general intelligence) can account for much of an individuals' performance across a wide variety of cognitive tests. However, despite this factor's robustness, the underlying process is still a matter of debate. To address this question, we developed a novel battery of learning tasks to assess the general learning abilities (GLAs) of mice. Using this battery, we previously reported a strong relationship between GLA and a task designed to tax working memory capacity (i.e., resistance to competing demands). Here we further explored this relationship by investigating which aspects of working memory (storage or processing) best predict GLAs in mice. We found that a component of working memory, selective attention, correlated with GLA comparably to working memory capacity. However, this relationship was not found for two other components of working memory, short-term memory capacity and duration. These results provide further evidence that variations in aspects of working memory and executive functions covary with general cognitive abilities.
单一因素(即一般智力)能够解释个体在各种认知测试中的大部分表现。然而,尽管这个因素具有稳健性,其潜在过程仍是一个有争议的问题。为了解决这个问题,我们开发了一组新颖的学习任务来评估小鼠的一般学习能力(GLA)。使用这组任务,我们之前报告了GLA与一个旨在考验工作记忆容量(即抵抗竞争性需求)的任务之间存在很强的关系。在这里,我们通过研究工作记忆的哪些方面(存储或处理)最能预测小鼠的GLA,进一步探索了这种关系。我们发现,工作记忆的一个组成部分,即选择性注意,与GLA的相关性与工作记忆容量相当。然而,在工作记忆的另外两个组成部分,即短期记忆容量和持续时间方面,未发现这种关系。这些结果提供了进一步的证据,表明工作记忆和执行功能方面的变化与一般认知能力共同变化。