Is the N-Back Task a Valid Neuropsychological Measure for Assessing Working Memory?

Miller, Kimberly M.; Price, Catherine C.; Okun, Michael S.; Montijo, H.; Bowers, Dawn

doi:10.1093/arclin/acp063

Cited by 177 publications

(133 citation statements)

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“…Thus, the task could be considered to be more similar to forward than to backward recall. Previous research comparing n-back with forward and backward recall, and simple and complex span, also reject the notion that the findings in Experiment 2 reflect increased similarity in basic task demands between n-back and backward recall (e.g., Gevins & Smith, 2000;Jaeggi et al, 2010;Miller, Price, Okun, Montijo & Bowers, 2009;Oberauer, 2005;Shelton, Elliott, Hill, Calamia & Gouvier, 2009). Thus, we would claim that the results indicate a greater role for visuospatial support during backward digit recall.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Are forward and backward recall the same? A dual-task study of digit recall

Clair-Thompson

Allen

2012

Mem Cogn

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There is some debate surrounding the cognitive resources underlying backward digit recall. Some researchers consider it to differ from forward digit recall due to the involvement of executive control, while others suggest that backward recall involves visuospatial resources. Five experiments therefore investigated the role of executive-attentional and visuospatial resources in both forward and backward digit recall. In the first, participants completed visuospatial 0-back and 2-back tasks during the encoding of information to be remembered. The concurrent tasks did not differentially disrupt performance on backward digit recall, relative to forward digit recall. Experiment 2 shifted concurrent load to the recall phase instead and, in this case, revealed a larger effect of both tasks on backward recall, relative to forwards recall, suggesting that backward recall may draw on additional resources during the recall phase and that these resources are visuospatial in nature. Experiments 3 and 4 then further investigated the role of visual processes in forward and backward recall using dynamic visual noise (DVN). In Experiment 3, DVN was presented during encoding of information to be remembered and had no effect upon performance. However, in Experiment 4, it was presented during the recall phase, and the results provided evidence of a role for visual imagery in backward digit recall. These results were replicated in Experiment 5, in which the same list length was used for forward and backward recall tasks. The findings are discussed in terms of both theoretical and practical implications.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Are forward and backward recall the same? A dual-task study of digit recall

Clair-Thompson

Allen

2012

Mem Cogn

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“…Apesar de a literatura evidenciar baixa especificidade da tarefa quanto à função cognitiva medida (Miller et al, 2009), os dados mostrados neste estudo evidenciam que a tarefa se comporta conforme o ciclo desenvolvimental da MT. Tendo em vista as demandas de pesquisa na área da psicologia por instrumentos adaptados para nossa população, mais estudos que investiguem o desempenho da população brasileira em tarefas neuropsicológicas internacionalmente reconhecidas e populares por sua acurácia experimental como a Tarefa N-back auditiva são de fundamental relevância.…”

Section: Tabela 2 Médias De Acertos E Erros De Acordo Com Grupo Etáriounclassified

“…Os resultados dessa tarefa são analisados de diferentes formas: por meio de desenhos de análises paramétricas que comparam os níveis 1-back, 2-back e 3-back (Dobbs & Rule, 1989), por meio do somatório de acertos em todos os níveis, assumindo um valor único como medida de MT (Nebes et al, 2000), ou, ainda, pela análise do índice de acurácia e o tempo de reação (Miller, Price, Okun, Montijo, & Bowers, 2009). Algumas investigações sugerem seguir em níveis além do 3-back (Nebes et al, 2000).…”

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“…Contudo, é relevante mencionar que a validade dessa tarefa como medida de MT é questionada por alguns autores (Kane et al, 2004;Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Perrig, & Meier, 2010;Miller et al, 2009). Por exemplo, Miller e colaboradores (2009) sugerem que a tarefa N-back não é uma medida puramente de MT, podendo envolver outro processo, especialmente a velocidade do processamento da informação.…”

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“…Contudo, os próprios autores comentam que uma limitação deste estudo foi comparar a versão visual da tarefa com um teste neuropsicológico clínico auditivo, fator que pode ter influenciado no resultado encontrado. Os autores afirmam, ainda, que seria interessante a aplicação de um teste de MT visual, como o Span espacial da WMS-R, para se fazer uma investigação mais adequada (Miller et al, 2009).…”

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Tarefa N-back auditiva: desempenho entre diferentes grupos etários

Nardi

Sanvicente‐Vieira

Prando

et al. 2013

Psicol. Reflex. Crit.

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ResumoUm dos instrumentos mais utilizados internacionalmente para avaliação da Memória de Trabalho (MT) é a Tarefa N-back Auditiva. Recursos para avaliação desse sistema são escassos no Brasil. O presente estudo objetiva observar o desempenho da Tarefa N-back Auditiva em indivíduos de diferentes faixas etárias: 27 crianças, 22 pré-adolescentes, 26 adultos e 27 idosos. Os resultados mostram que o grupo etário influencia no desempenho da Tarefa N-back Auditiva. A acurácia foi aumentando na transição da infância para a pré-adolescência e seguiu em crescimento até a adultez. Observou-se um declínio no desempenho de idosos. Os dados da Tarefa N-back Auditiva corrobora a trajetória desenvolvimental, sugerindo que essa tarefa possa ser utilizada no contexto experimental. Pesquisas de normatização contribuirão para melhor compreensão dessa tarefa. Palavras-chave: Memória de Trabalho, memória operacional, Tarefa N-Back Auditiva, desenvolvimento cognitivo. AbstractOne of the most internationally used instruments for evaluation of Working Memory (WM) is the Auditory N-Back Task. In Brazil, resources to evaluate this system are scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of different age subjects in auditory n-back tasks. We divided the 102 subjects in four groups: 27 children, 22 adolescents, 26 young adults and 27 older adults. The results demonstrate an agerelated difference in the n-back task performance. The accuracy increased in the transition from childhood to adolescence and kept growing from adolescence to adulthood. We also found a decrease in the performance of aged subjects. The Auditory N-Back Task results are in agreement with WM development trajectory, and so, it demonstrates to be an adjusted instrument to evaluate this system in experimental setting.

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Functional near‐infrared spectroscopy measures of neural activity in children with and without developmental language disorder during a working memory task

et al. 2023

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Introduction:Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) exhibit cognitive deficits that interfere with their ability to learn language. Little is known about the functional neuroanatomical differences between children developing typically (TD) and children with DLD.Methods: Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, we recorded oxygenated hemoglobin (O 2 hb) concentration values associated with neural activity in children with and without DLD during an auditory N-back task that included 0-back, 1-back, and 2-back conditions. Analyses focused on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Multilevel models were constructed with accuracy, response time, and O 2 hb as outcome measures, with 0-back outcomes as fixed effects to control for sustained attention. Results:Children with DLD were significantly less accurate than their TD peers at both the 1-back and 2-back tasks, and they demonstrated slower response times during 2-back. In addition, children in the TD group demonstrated significantly greater sensitivity to increased task difficulty, showing increased O 2 hb to the IPL during 1-back and to the DLPFC during the 2-back, whereas the DLD group did not. A secondary analysis revealed that higher O 2 hb in the DLPFC predicted better task accuracy across groups. Conclusion:When task difficulty increased, children with DLD failed to recruit the DLPFC for monitoring information and the IPL for processing information. Reduced memory capacity and reduced engagement likely contribute to the language learning difficulties of children with DLD.

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Is the N-Back Task a Valid Neuropsychological Measure for Assessing Working Memory?

Cited by 177 publications

References 23 publications

Are forward and backward recall the same? A dual-task study of digit recall

Are forward and backward recall the same? A dual-task study of digit recall

Tarefa N-back auditiva: desempenho entre diferentes grupos etários

Functional near‐infrared spectroscopy measures of neural activity in children with and without developmental language disorder during a working memory task

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