NEW335H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Short-Term Memory, Working Memory, Brodmann Area
Lecture 7- Meditation, memory, and cognition
What is memory? According to current theories, what types of memory are there? How are
these types of memory different?
Memory: the process wherein information is stored, consolidated, and retrieved
Types of memory:
1) Short term memory ! attended sensory information enters STM (while unattended is
lost)
2) Long term memory ! rehearsed information proceeds into LTM
oNote: most studies investigate the effect of meditation on STM
Differences between STM & LTM
•STM: lasts a relatively short amount of time (seconds to minutes)
oInformation stored in STM decays/forgotten unless it is emotionally relevant and/
or mentally rehearsed
oIn general: most humans can recall a sequence of up to 7+/- 2 items (5-9) with
little difficulty
oChunking (into meaningful groups) and rehearsal of information increase STM
capacity
oSTM can be tested in the lab- digit span task ! longest string of digits you can
remember w/out error (modestly correlated with performance on psychometric
tests, general intelligence, slightly better IQs)
What type of memory has been most studied in the context of meditation?
SHORT TERM MEMORY!
Describe working memory. How is it measured in the lab? What tests might be used?
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Working memory: the framework of structures and processes that temporarily store and
manipulate information ! ex: performing mental operations upon information like arithmetic
o3 processes work together to manage information: visuospatial sketchpad (visual
info), phonological loop (mainly verbal info), and central executive
Measuring WM in lab via: Digit Symbol Test & Operation Span (OSPAN) test
oDigit symbol: measure how fast you match the digit with symbol/looking up to see
code takes time
oOSPAN: measuring the # of unrelated words that can be remembered (temp storage)
while doing a math task (active processing- manipulate info)
What are the STM impairments?
1) Alzheimer’s Disease
2) Traumatic brain injury
3) Schizophrenia
4) Mood disorders (depression, PTSD)
5) Aging (mitigated by engaging in cognitively demanding tasks)
What brain structures are thought to be importantly involved in working memory?
•Complex – many brain regions involved in WM:
Dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) sensitive to meditation:
oMay include Brodmann areas 8,9,10,& 46 and overlap with many areas of the
frontal cortex
oDirect stimulation ! improve some aspects of memory performance; damage
! impaired working memory (ex: schizophrenia)
oMediation ! increased blood perfusion of DLPFC ! increased activity
How strong is the effect of meditation on memory?
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Overall- not enough studies on meditation and memory
1) Short mindfulness program (~4-10days) WM + cognitive performance
oEffects of mindfulness on symbol digit modalities and verbal fluency
oShowing cognition is slightly enhanced by meditation
oResults from study done on uni studies not generalizable to whole population
2) Preliminary data – short meditation programs enhance WM slightly in adolescents – but
not enough studies supporting this claim
•Most studies on mediation and STM for specific types of info (#s/words)
•Meta-analysis – modest effect of meditation on WM and autobiographical memory but
not attention/executive function
How does meditation affect people’s relationship to their job? Be specific.
oIf the effects on memory are generalizable to other contexts ! meditation may be
beneficial for overall job performance
oAnalysis on meditation & job performance: meditation is positively related to work
engagement/satisfaction/self-reported work performance
oDID NOT MEASURE OVJECTIVE WORK PERFORMANCE – helps with
psychological adjustment but this is not an objective finding
What is a meta-analysis? Why are meta-analyses good research practice?
Meta-analysis: looks at many studies (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE) performed on the same
topic
oEx: 18 studies in this area supported a modest effect of meditation on WM and
autobiographic memory but not attention or executive function
oNeed to show consistent effects
Explain the relationship between stress and memory performance that is proposed by the
Yerkes-Dodson Law.
•Yerkes-Dodson Law: models the relationship between stress and memory performance
•High and low levels of arousal/stress (extremes)! reduce performance of difficult tasks
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Document Summary
Memory: the process wherein information is stored, consolidated, and retrieved. Types of memory: short term memory ! attended sensory information enters stm (while unattended is lost, long term memory ! rehearsed information proceeds into ltm, note: most studies investigate the effect of meditation on stm. What are the stm impairments: alzheimer"s disease, traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, mood disorders (depression, ptsd, aging (mitigated by engaging in cognitively demanding tasks) What brain structures are thought to be importantly involved in working memory: complex many brain regions involved in wm: Explain the relationship between stress and memory performance that is proposed by the. Yerkes-dodson law: yerkes-dodson law: models the relationship between stress and memory performance, high and low levels of arousal/stress (extremes)! reduce performance of difficult tasks. Long-term potentiation (ltp): long term increases in the efficiency of synapses: neuron a strongly activates neuron b ! stronger synapse.
