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The neural basis of updating: Distinguishing substitution processes from other concurrent processes
Author(s) -
SÖRQVIST PATRIK,
SÆTREVIK BJØRN
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2010.00817.x
Subject(s) - working memory , substitution (logic) , psychology , posterior parietal cortex , prefrontal cortex , cognitive psychology , task (project management) , dorsolateral prefrontal cortex , cognition , contrast (vision) , representation (politics) , neuroscience , computer science , artificial intelligence , management , economics , programming language , politics , political science , law
Sörqvist, P. & Sætrevik, B. (2010). The neural basis of updating: Distinguishing substitution processes from other concurrent processes. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology , 51 , 357–362. Most previous studies of updating processes have not been able to contrast processes of substituting items in memory with other concurrent processes. In the present investigation, we used a new task called “number updating” and an fMRI protocol to contrast the activation of trials that require item substitution (adding a new item to the working memory representation and suppressing an old item) with trials that involve no substitution (discarding the new item). Trials that require item substitution activated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the posterior medial frontal cortex and the parietal lobes, areas typically seen activated for working memory tasks in general. Trials that do not require substitution activated the anterior medial frontal cortex. Studies examining executive functions have associated this area with cognitive conflict, and may represent suppression of the substitution processes.