Training the removal of negative information from working memory: A preliminary investigation of a working memory bias modification task

Deficits in maintenance and interference control of working memory in major depression: evidence from the visuospatial change detection task

INTRODUCTION

Recent theories in cognitive psychology suggest that working memory (WM) processing involves a set of specific functions, in particular the WM functions of maintenance and interference control. Previous findings on WM impairments in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) had been inconsistent, partly because earlier studies did not take into account these two different functions of WM.

METHOD

Forty-two participants with MDD and 39 controls completed the visuospatial change detection task. We estimated the WM function of maintenance, based on performance in trials using the targets only, and the WM function of interference control, based on performance in trials with distractor rectangles.

RESULTS

Our results showed that participants with MDD had poorer WM function of maintenance and interference control than controls. However, the results of filtering efficiency did not show significant group difference, thus patients with MDD showed comparable impairments in WM function of maintanance as well as in WM function of interference control.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggested that patients with MDD appear to show generalised impairments on visuospatial WM function of maintenance and interference control. Future studies should use refined paradigms to assess the different functions of WM and their distinctive contributions to symptomatology of depression.

Repetitive Negative Thinking, Temperament, and Adverse Impact in Adults Who Stutter

Purpose Prior research has explored how repetitive negative thinking (RNT) contributes to both the increased persistence and severity of various disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. This study explored the potential role of RNT in the experience of stuttering, with a particular focus on the relationship between RNT, adverse impact, and certain temperament profiles. Method Three hundred thirteen adults who stutter completed a measurement of the frequency/severity of RNT (Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire; Ehring et al., 2011), 207 completed a temperament profile (Adult Temperament Questionnaire; Evans & Rothbart, 2007), and 205 completed a measurement of adverse stuttering impact (Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering; Yaruss & Quesal, 2016). Analyses were conducted within and across instruments to ascertain how RNT, temperament markers, and adverse impact interrelate within individuals. Results Results indicated that RNT significantly predicts Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering impact scores with great effect and that certain temperament markers (specifically, Effortful Control and Negative Affectivity) moderate this relationship for specific sections of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Conclusion By assessing RNT in people who stutter, clinicians can better understand individual differences in their clients, and this will allow them to make targeted diagnoses and develop more tailored intervention plans.

Trait worry is associated with difficulties in working memory updating

The current study investigated the effects of trait worry, a subcomponent of trait anxiety, on the process of updating information in working memory (WM). A leading theory on anxiety and executive functions, attentional control theory (ACT), states that anxiety is not related to WM updating in emotionally neutral situations. Previous research, however, has focused almost exclusively on WM span tasks that primarily emphasised storage, rather than the updating of WM representations. Moreover, few studies have directly examined the effects of trait worry. In this study, 116 subjects performed a WM updating task that required the memorisation of short lists of words and the within-trial removal of some of these items from WM. Results indicated that levels of trait worry were not related to word-span performance, but were related to performance on trials that required subjects to effectively update WM. Moreover, these effects were observed only for trait worry, not for levels of anxious arousal or comorbid levels of dysphoria. These results support the hypothesis that trait worry is related to WM updating performance and thereby extend ACT in new directions.