The Effect of Mental Fatigue and Gender on Working Memory Performance during Repeated Practice by Young and Older Adults. (4th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pergher, Valentina; Vanbilsen, Nele; Van Hulle, Marc
• Other Names: Berardi Nicoletta Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: Neural plasticity. Volume 2021(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-10-04
• Subjects: Neuroplasticity -- Periodicals; 612.82
• DOI: 10.1155/2021/6612805
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2090-5904

Abstract

Abstract : Working memory (WM) is one of the most investigated cognitive functions albeit the extent to which individual characteristics impact on performance is still unclear, especially when older adults are involved. The present study considers repeated practice of a visual N -Back task with three difficulty levels (1-, 2-, and 3-Back) in healthy young and older individuals. Our results reveal that, for both age groups, the expected mental fatigue was countered by a learning effect, in terms of accuracies and reaction times, which turned out to benefit females more than males, for all three N -Back levels. We conclude that future WM studies, in particular when relying on repeated N -Back sessions, should account for learning effects in relation to mental fatigue and gender, in both young and older adults.