Effortfulness of visual working memory: Gauged by physical exertion.

Abstract

Active maintenance of information in working memory (WM) is an essential but effortful cognitive process. Yet, the effortful nature of WM remains poorly understood. Here, we constructed a model to evaluate how perceived effort of WM is directly compared to that of physical exertion. In Experiment 1, participants freely chose to either remember a certain number of colors in a visual WM task or hold a hand dynamometer to a required percentage of maximal voluntary contraction (%MVC) to obtain a fixed task credit upon successful task completion. We found that participants discounted WM-related effort in the same way as they discounted handgrip-related effort based on a computation of expected choice outcomes (hence utility) associated with different task loads. This rationality in an observer's prospective choice in Experiment 1 was generalized to retrospective choice in Experiment 2 where participants reported which task was more effortful immediately after they had performed both tasks in a randomized order without any reward or feedback. Experiment 3 further probed this shared mechanism using a dual-task paradigm. As predicted by our model, we found that physical exertion could disrupt the performance in the concurrent WM task, proportional to the iso-effort relationship between WM and physical exertion when task loads were high for both tasks. Collectively, our findings converge on a shared computational principle connecting task load, perceived effort, and choice utility across physical and cognitive domains.

Perceptual Boost of Visual Memorability on Visual Memory Formation

“…To clarify this, we administered a surprise visual recognition test to participants on the second day of Experiment 3 using stimuli previously presented in the VSTM task. To factor out individual differences and capture within-subject effects, we accessed whether or not the memorability boost in VSTM carries over to VLTM formation for each participant through an analysis of repeated-measured correlation between participants' VSTM and VLTM task performance for task stimuli across different memorability levels (Bakdash & Marusich, 2017;Xie & Zhang, 2023a).…”

Detrimental effects of effortful physical exertion on a working memory dual-task in older adults.

“…Park et al, 2021; Voelcker-Rehage & Alberts, 2007; Xie & Zhang, 2023). For instance, engaging in a concurrent handgrip task during WM maintenance can impair young adults’ memory performance (Xie & Zhang, 2023). More importantly, task-irrelevant distractors during the concurrent handgrip task can more easily capture visual attention (H.-B.…”

“…Recent literature has documented strong links between cognitive and motor functions, which can often interact with each other, especially when executive function is involved (Cappiello et al, 2018; Leisman et al, 2016; H.-B. Park et al, 2021; Voelcker-Rehage & Alberts, 2007; Xie & Zhang, 2023). For instance, engaging in a concurrent handgrip task during WM maintenance can impair young adults’ memory performance (Xie & Zhang, 2023).…”

“…The close interactions between motor and cognitive functions can provide inhibition-based effects of physical effort (Cappiello et al, 2018; H.-B. Park et al, 2021; Voelcker-Rehage & Alberts, 2007; Xie & Zhang, 2023). This offers an intriguing perspective, and thus novel opportunity, to investigate functional declines in older adults while engaging in activities that involve concurrent physical exertion given the widely observed age-related declines in cognitive control.…”

“…Therefore, due to reduced inhibitory control in older adults (Hasher & Zacks, 1988), and the susceptibility to task-irrelevant distractors during a concurrent handgrip and cognitive task (Cappiello et al, 2018; H.-B. Park et al, 2021; Xie & Zhang, 2023), it is possible that age could amplify the negative effects of effortful physical action on concurrent cognitive function. Given that many daily activities concurrently engage motor and cognitive functions, aging and age-related declines in inhibitory control and physical strength will pose a unique challenge to older adults.…”