Attentional Modulation of Working Memory in Children and Adults

Abstract

Attention and working memory are cognitive functions that have been increasingly recognized as having overlapping functions and mechanisms. Research has asked how their developmental trajectories are related throughout childhood and adolescence. By employing a classic cueing task, this study seeks to investigate how directing attention to external (pre-cue) versus internal (retro-cue) stimuli modulates visual working memory in 7-year-old children, 11-year-old children, and adults. Additionally, it explores the possibilities and limitations of a retro-cue double-probe paradigm for examining effects of attentional cueing on other, non-cued items in working memory. Consistent with expectations, both pre-cue and retro-cue conditions improved working memory recall performance relative to a neutral, no-cue condition. Furthermore, pre-cues were more beneficial than retro-cues for all ages, and each cue type was equally beneficial across age groups. Notably, neutral working memory capacity was comparable in 11-year-olds and adults, indicating that it might developmentally plateau around this time. Results of the exploratory double-probe experiment offer insights into potential paradigm improvements and next steps towards the goal of utilization in developmental inquiries.