title: Working memory, attention control, and the N-back task: a question of construct validity.
abstract: The N-back task requires participants to decide whether each stimulus in a sequence matches the one that appeared n items ago. Although N-back has become a standard "executive" working memory (WM) measure in cognitive neuroscience, it has been subjected to few behavioral tests of construct validity. A combined experimental- correlational study tested the attention-control demands of verbal 2- and 3-back tasks by presenting n = 1 "lure" foils. Lures elicited more false alarms than control foils in both 2- and 3-back tasks, and lures caused more misses to targets that immediately followed them compared with control targets, but only in 3-back tasks. N-back thus challenges control over familiarity-based responding. Participants also completed a verbal WM span task (operation span task) and a marker test of general fluid intelligence (Gf; Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices Test; J. C. Raven, J. E. Raven, & J. H. Court, 1998). N-back and WM span correlated weakly, suggesting they do not reflect primarily a single construct; moreover, both accounted for independent variance in Gf. N-back has face validity as a WM task, but it does not demonstrate convergent validity with at least 1 established WM measure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Andrew R A
authors.initials: ARA
authors.lastname: Conway
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Timothy K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Gregory J H
authors.initials: GJH
authors.lastname: Colflesh
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007360:Intelligence; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011340:Problem Solving; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012660:Semantics; D012691:Serial Learning; D014706:Verbal Learning