19th Annual Student Research Conference
Social Science
Analyzing the Mediating Effects of Anxiety and Effort on Working Memory Subcomponents
Andrew R. Bax*, Tim J. Whitman, Katie C. Jorgenson, and Heather N. Miller
Dr. David B. Conner, Faculty Mentor
The goal of this project was to observe participant responses (anxiety and effort) to manipulated stressors and measure the subsequent processing efficiency of working memory sub-components on cognitive tasks. Alan Baddley's model of working memory (Baddeley, 1986) identifies three subcomponents, each specializing in a different capacity. The articulary loop specializes in rehearsal and short term storage of aural representations and messages. The visuo-spatial sketchpad serves to maintain representations of visual stimuli as well as spatial orientations. The Central Executive is involved in the regulation of the two slave-systems as well as the processing and manipulation of information in order to interact with the environment. Past research has shown that anxiety and effort affect the processing efficiency of working memory (Eysenck and Calvo, 1992). The specific aim of the current study was to identify the degree to which each subcomponent is affected by anxiety and effort.
Keywords: working memory, short term memory, anxiety, effort
Topic(s):Psychology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 55-4
Location: VH 1010
Time: 3:30