Differential effects of alcohol on working memory: distinguishing multiple processes

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology
J Scott SaultsMatthew V Moreno

Abstract

The authors assessed effects of alcohol consumption on different types of working memory (WM) tasks in an attempt to characterize the nature of alcohol effects on cognition. The WM tasks varied in 2 properties of materials to be retained in a 2-stimulus comparison procedure. Conditions included (a) spatial arrays of colors, (b) temporal sequences of colors, (c) spatial arrays of spoken digits, and (d) temporal sequences of spoken digits. Alcohol consumption impaired memory for auditory and visual sequences but not memory for simultaneous arrays of auditory or visual stimuli. These results suggest that processes needed to encode and maintain stimulus sequences, such as rehearsal, are more sensitive to alcohol intoxication than other WM mechanisms needed to maintain multiple concurrent items, such as focusing attention on them. These findings help to resolve disparate findings from prior research on alcohol's effect on WM and on divided attention. The results suggest that moderate doses of alcohol impair WM by affecting certain mnemonic strategies and executive processes rather than by shrinking the basic holding capacity of WM.

References

Nov 1, 1990·Perception & Psychophysics·E A MaylorS A Kerr
Jul 1, 1989·Memory & Cognition·C G Penney
Nov 1, 1987·Memory & Cognition·N CowanM Sherk
Apr 1, 1995·Psychopharmacology·H S Koelega
Feb 1, 1993·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·C S MartinR M Swift
Mar 1, 1993·Memory & Cognition·R G Crowder
Jan 5, 2002·Psychological Science·J J CurtinN Birbaume
Aug 1, 1965·The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·N MORAYT BARNETT
Jul 21, 2004·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Candice C Morey, Nelson Cowan
Mar 22, 2005·Psychopharmacology·Karen E Grattan-Miscio, Muriel Vogel-Sprott
Jun 11, 2005·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Raphaëlle LépineValérie Camos
Oct 28, 2005·Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·Tom A SchweizerCarole E Broderick
Jan 31, 2006·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Maria TestaLenwood W Hayman
Mar 10, 2006·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Andrew R A ConwayRandall W Engle
Aug 11, 2006·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Martin P PaulusMarc A Schuckit
May 11, 2007·Memory & Cognition·Nelson CowanJ Scott Saults
Jul 20, 2007·Psychological Review·Gordon D A BrownNick Chater

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 15, 2011·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Nicole PrausePeter Finn
Dec 15, 2010·Cerebral Cortex·Hank P JedemaCharles W Bradberry
May 9, 2009·Psychological Science·Michael A SayetteJonathan W Schooler
Dec 5, 2012·PloS One·Matthew J DryJason M White
Aug 16, 2011·Psychopharmacology·Don van RavenzwaaijEric-Jan Wagenmakers
Oct 14, 2010·Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology·Casey R GuillotMitchell E Berman
Sep 12, 2015·Neurotoxicity Research·Patrycja KleczkowskaMagdalena Bujalska-Zadrozny
Dec 19, 2015·Experimental Brain Research·Marina Kunchulia, Roland Thomaschke
Mar 7, 2015·Nicotine & Tobacco Research : Official Journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco·Rosane GomezMarina Godinho Wieczorek
Jul 17, 2009·Human Psychopharmacology·Kim Curry, Michael J Stasio
Feb 3, 2011·British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology·Remco W M ZoethoutJoop M A van Gerven
Mar 19, 2015·British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology·Nathalie ProssNicolas Fauchoux
Apr 7, 2015·Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior·Adelle NovierDouglas B Matthews
Jan 30, 2013·Consciousness and Cognition·Gregory J H Colflesh, Jennifer Wiley
Jan 31, 2012·Consciousness and Cognition·Andrew F JaroszJennifer Wiley
May 6, 2009·International Journal of Psychophysiology : Official Journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology·Roland BohaGabriella Klausz
Jun 27, 2012·Vision Research·Marina KunchuliaMichael H Herzog
Apr 12, 2014·Frontiers in Psychology·Jacob L OrquinCurtis Haugtvedt
May 21, 2016·Frontiers in Psychiatry·Anna-Marie MarshallColin Hamilton
Jan 24, 2017·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Michael A Sayette
Dec 7, 2013·Journal of Psychopharmacology·Claire O'BrienMike Harris
Sep 19, 2019·Suicide & Life-threatening Behavior·Juliette SallesEmmanuelle Bougon
Jul 15, 2017·Scientific Reports·Genane LoheswaranZafiris J Daskalakis
Sep 4, 2019·Drug and Alcohol Dependence·Brook A ShiferawLuke A Downey
Jul 28, 2021·Psychopharmacology·Alistair J Harvey, C Philip Beaman

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Auditory Perception

Auditory perception is the ability to receive and interpret information attained by the ears. Here is the latest research on factors and underlying mechanisms that influence auditory perception.