Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science of Ministry of Education, Research Center for Learning Science, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Psychophysiology. 2020 Nov;57(11):e13643. doi: 10.1111/psyp.13643. Epub 2020 Jul 29.
According to the load theory of attention, increased working memory load impairs selective attention, resulting in greater distractor interference during inhibitory control processing. However, the EEG signatures correlated with this modulation effect of working memory on inhibitory control remain unclear. In present study, 25 healthy human participants performed a flanker task in a low and high working memory load conditions, while behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded. The results showed a larger reaction time interference effect while increasing working memory load, and this was accompanied by a larger N2 amplitude and a smaller P3 amplitude for incongruent trials. Time-frequency analysis revealed that, increased working memory load had no significant modulation effect on flanker related theta-ERS magnitude. Incongruent trials evoked smaller alpha-ERD magnitude than congruent trials in both low and high working memory load conditions. Increased working memory load was associated with larger flanker related alpha-ERD magnitude. Taken together, these results suggested that increased working memory load can impair top-down cognitive control processes, impairing inhibitory control processes during performance of the flanker task.
根据注意的负载理论，增加工作记忆负载会损害选择性注意，从而在抑制控制处理过程中导致更大的分心干扰。然而，与工作记忆对抑制控制的这种调制效应相关的 EEG 特征尚不清楚。在本研究中，25 名健康人类参与者在低和高工作记忆负载条件下执行了侧抑制任务，同时记录了行为和脑电图 (EEG) 数据。结果表明，随着工作记忆负载的增加，反应时间干扰效应更大，并且不一致试验的 N2 振幅更大，P3 振幅更小。时频分析显示，增加工作记忆负载对侧抑制相关θ频段 ERS 幅度没有显著的调制作用。在低和高工作记忆负载条件下，不一致试验诱发的α频段 EDR 幅度均小于一致试验。增加的工作记忆负载与更大的侧抑制相关的α频段 EDR 幅度相关。综上所述，这些结果表明，增加工作记忆负载会损害自上而下的认知控制过程，从而在执行侧抑制任务时损害抑制控制过程。
