title: The effects of working memory resource depletion and training on sensorimotor adaptation.
abstract: We have recently demonstrated that visuospatial working memory performance predicts the rate of motor skill learning, particularly during the early phase of visuomotor adaptation. Here, we follow up these correlational findings with direct manipulations of working memory resources to determine the impact on visuomotor adaptation, a form of motor learning. We conducted two separate experiments. In the first one, we used a resource depletion strategy to investigate whether the rate of early visuomotor adaptation would be negatively affected by fatigue of spatial working memory resources. In the second study, we employed a dual n-back task training paradigm that has been shown to result in transfer effects [1] over five weeks to determine whether training-related improvements would boost the rate of early visuomotor adaptation. The depletion of spatial working memory resources negatively affected the rate of early visuomotor adaptation. However, enhancing working memory capacity via training did not lead to improved rates of visuomotor adaptation, suggesting that working memory capacity may not be the factor limiting maximal rate of visuomotor adaptation in young adults. These findings are discussed from a resource limitation/capacity framework with respect to current views of motor learning.
authors.affiliation: School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Joaquin A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Anguera
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: Susanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jaeggi
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buschkuehl
authors.forename: Bryan L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jennett
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Humfleet
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Reuter-Lorenz
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jonides
authors.forename: Rachael D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Seidler
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D014163:Transfer, Psychology