The concurrent validity of the N-back task as a working memory measure
The concurrent validity of the N-back task as a working memory measure
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DOI：
10.1080/09658211003702171
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.1
通讯作者：
Meier, Beat
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jaeggi, Susanne M.;Buschkuehl, Martin;Meier, Beat
N-back任务作为一种工作记忆(WM)范式在文献中被广泛使用，并越来越多地被用来衡量个体差异。然而，人们对这项任务的心理测量学特性知之甚少，目前的研究旨在更好地阐明这一问题。我们首先回顾了当前关于N-back任务的心理测量学特性的文献。通过三个使用不同刺激和负荷水平的任务变量的实验，我们通过研究N-back任务与工作记忆的关系，以及它作为个体间差异测量的作用，来考察N-back任务的性质。与以前的文献一致，我们的数据表明，N-back任务不是衡量工作记忆个体差异的有用指标，部分原因是它的可靠性不够。然而，这项任务似乎对WM的实验研究很有用，也很好地预测了其他较高认知功能的个体间差异，如液体智力，特别是在较高水平的负荷下使用时。
The N-back task is used extensively in literature as a working memory (WM) paradigm and it is increasingly used as a measure of individual differences. However, not much is known about the psychometric properties of this task and the current study aims to shed more light on this issue. We first review the current literature on the psychometric properties of the N-back task. With three experiments using task variants with different stimuli and load levels, we then investigate the nature of the N-back task by investigating its relationship to WM, and its role as an inter-individual difference measure. Consistent with previous literature, our data suggest that the N-back task is not a useful measure of individual differences in WM, partly because of its insufficient reliability. Nevertheless, the task seems to be useful for experimental research in WM and also well predicts inter-individual differences in other higher cognitive functions, such as fluid intelligence, especially when used at higher levels of load.