The roles of working memory capacity, visual attention and age in driving performance
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Summary
This study investigates how individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) and task goals (speed versus accuracy) modulate neural markers of cognitive control, specifically error-related event-related potentials (ERPs). The research addresses a gap in the literature regarding the interaction between WMC and experimenter-provided task instructions in regulating error monitoring and conscious error recognition. The authors hypothesized that individuals with high WMC would exhibit more flexible neural responses to task goals compared to those with low WMC, reflecting superior top-down control maintained by the prefrontal cortex and monitored by the anterior cingulate cortex. The study employed a 2 (WMC: high vs. low) × 2 (Condition: speed-stress vs. accuracy-stress) split-plot factorial design. Participants were classified into high or low WMC groups based on performance on the Operation Span Task. In a subsequent session, 50 participants performed a high-congruency flanker task while EEG was recorded. Participants completed blocks of trials under either speed or accuracy instructions, incentivized by monetary bonuses. The primary measures included behavioral response times and accuracy, as well as two ERP components: the error-related negativity (ERN), associated with preconscious error detection, and the post-error positivity (Pe), associated with conscious error recognition. Behavioral results indicated that both groups complied with speed-accuracy instructions, with high WMC participants responding faster overall. The ERN amplitude was significantly larger for the high WMC group than for the low WMC group, regardless of the task condition, suggesting that high WMC individuals spontaneously engage in more robust error monitoring. Crucially, the Pe amplitude showed a significant interaction between WMC and task condition. The Pe was modulated to a greater extent by speed-accuracy instructions for the high WMC group; specifically, they exhibited a larger Pe under accuracy stress compared to speed stress. In contrast, the low WMC group showed less flexibility in Pe modulation across conditions. Additionally, high WMC participants demonstrated greater post-error slowing, particularly under accuracy stress, linking their neural flexibility to behavioral adjustments. These findings support two-process models of cognitive control, indicating that WMC influences both the automatic monitoring of errors (ERN) and the conscious updating of task goals following errors (Pe). The results suggest that individuals with high WMC possess a more finely tuned attentional control network, allowing them to flexibly adjust their cognitive strategies based on task demands. Conversely, low WMC individuals exhibit more rigid neural signatures, implying a reduced ability to dynamically update task goals in response to contextual instructions. This study elucidates the neural bases of individual differences in cognitive control, highlighting the distinct roles of spontaneous error monitoring and goal-directed remedial action.
Key finding
Attentional measures are important predictors of driving performance, with individual differences in visual attention and working memory capacity relating to simulated driving ability across age groups.
Methodology
simulator
Sample size: 35
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via tag_papers on 2026-05-30 (4 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-06 |
| archive | failed | pmc | — | — | 12 | 2026-06-04 |
| extract | success | pdf_extracted | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | failed | — | — | — | 3 | 2026-07-02 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-06 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 18 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | partial | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified_with_issues.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
- cognitive capacity variation
- useful field of view
- attention
- mci dementia driving
- older drivers
- cognitive aging
Information type
What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).
- Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data
- Theoretical Contribution: theory or model, computational model