Abstract
Objectives: The self has been implicated in reducing working memory load in tasks, but till date this has not been measured systematically. The present study is the first to test this assumption, by investigating the impact of ownership, a form of self-referencing, on visuospatial working memory (VSWM).
Design: The experiment was a within-subjects design, measuring the effect of ownership (self-owned vs. experimenter-owned) on VSWM span.
Method: 94 children (45 female, 49 male) aged 7 to 9 participated in the study. Participants firstly completed a digital sorting task, which was used to elicit self and other ownership. The task involved viewing objects, and based on a coloured cue, sorting the object into the participant’s or experimenter’s box. Following this, a Corsi-Block-Tapping Test (CBTT) was administered. This is a commonly used measure of VSWM which involves repeating a presented sequence of up to 9 blocks. An adapted version of the CBTT was created, in which to-be-remembered sequences involved the presentation of self-owned, experimenter-owned and control images to test whether a VSWM span bias would occur under the owned objects condition.
Results: Although VSWM increased across ages, there was no significant difference between participant’s VSWM memory across the conditions.
Conclusions: The findings contradict previous proposed explanations of the influence of self on information processing. The effect, however, could be explained by a weak ownership link. As this is the first study to explore the relationship, the next step is to replicate the study with adaptations to the ownership paradigm methodology before further investigation.
Design: The experiment was a within-subjects design, measuring the effect of ownership (self-owned vs. experimenter-owned) on VSWM span.
Method: 94 children (45 female, 49 male) aged 7 to 9 participated in the study. Participants firstly completed a digital sorting task, which was used to elicit self and other ownership. The task involved viewing objects, and based on a coloured cue, sorting the object into the participant’s or experimenter’s box. Following this, a Corsi-Block-Tapping Test (CBTT) was administered. This is a commonly used measure of VSWM which involves repeating a presented sequence of up to 9 blocks. An adapted version of the CBTT was created, in which to-be-remembered sequences involved the presentation of self-owned, experimenter-owned and control images to test whether a VSWM span bias would occur under the owned objects condition.
Results: Although VSWM increased across ages, there was no significant difference between participant’s VSWM memory across the conditions.
Conclusions: The findings contradict previous proposed explanations of the influence of self on information processing. The effect, however, could be explained by a weak ownership link. As this is the first study to explore the relationship, the next step is to replicate the study with adaptations to the ownership paradigm methodology before further investigation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Sept 2019 |
| Event | Cognitive Psychology Section & Developmental Psychology Section Joint Conference 2019 - Best Western Plus Stoke on Trent Moat House, Stoke on Trent, United Kingdom Duration: 4 Sept 2019 → 6 Sept 2019 https://www.bps.org.uk/events/cognitive-psychology-section-developmental-psychology-section-joint-conference-2019 |
Conference
| Conference | Cognitive Psychology Section & Developmental Psychology Section Joint Conference 2019 |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | COGDEV 2019 |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Stoke on Trent |
| Period | 4/09/19 → 6/09/19 |
| Internet address |