Two dual task experiments were conducted to determine the function and content of working memory in concept attainment. Levine's (1966) concept attainment paradigm was used as the primary task. The secondary task in each experiment made selective demands on one of two working memory components, either the phonological loop or the central executive. The effect of the secondary tasks on the performance on the Levine task was measured by frequency of hypothesis use, consistency of hypotheses with previous feedback, and strategies employed to manage feedback. These measures revealed that the two working memory components play different roles in concept attainment. The phonological loop is responsible for maintaining hypotheses, while the central executive carries out mental operations that enable the use of hypotheses that are logically consistent with the given feedback. These findings make it possible to provide a detailed account of the role of working memory in concept attainment and yield new insights into the concept attainment process.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.26322 |
| Date | January 1994 |
| Creators | Sadesky, Gregory S. (Gregory Steven) |
| Contributors | Dunbar, Kevin (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Psychology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001447465, proquestno: MM99931, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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