Working Memory & Categorization in ID

描述(申请人提供)：本申请旨在推进智障和非智障(ID)个体工作记忆与分类之间关系的研究。工作记忆和分类是两个基本的智力过程，对一个人有效地处理和组织他或她的环境的能力至关重要。工作记忆是一种有限容量的记忆系统，在执行认知任务时保持相关信息的激活。分类是一个过程，在这个过程中，个体根据感知到的共同属性对样本或事件进行分组，反过来，该类别的样本被同等对待。工作记忆资源的可获得性影响分类策略的使用。与基于相似性或基于样本的分类相比，基于规则的分类需要更多的工作记忆资源。患有智障的人在工作记忆功能方面有局限性，但在记忆系统中有相对的优势和弱点。工作记忆的强弱是否会影响ID个体对不同分类策略的使用，尚未被系统地研究过。少数几个将现有分类模型应用于ID个体的研究结果是相互矛盾的。不能使用适当的分类策略的后果具有重大影响；个体会对新对象做出不正确的推论，从而做出不适当的概括。此外，归类技能对于熟练掌握语言、交流、解决问题和推理等许多高级认知技能是必不可少的。该应用程序的具体目的是：1)确定工作记忆功能是否预测有ID和有ID的个体使用特定的分类策略，以及(2)评估对工作记忆资源提出不同要求的不同学习条件是否影响分类策略的使用。将对工作记忆的语音、视觉空间和中央执行措施进行管理。将向参与者讲授不同动物和玩具的人工类别。刺激的设计将允许评估在分类过程中有身份识别和无身份识别的个人使用的策略类型。为了制定适当的干预措施，重要的是要确定不同的学习条件是否会导致患有ID的个体更有效地使用策略。因此，在分类任务之前，参与者学习类别的条件将被操纵-被动(观察)和主动(分类)。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application seeks to advance the study of the relation between working memory and categorization in individuals with and without intellectual disability (ID). Working memory and categorization are two fundamental intellectual processes crucial for an individual's ability to effectively process and organize his or her environment. Working memory is a limited capacity memory system that keeps relevant information activated while performing a cognitive task. Categorization is the process whereby an individual groups exemplars or events based on perceived common properties and in turn, exemplars of that category are treated equivalently. The availability of working memory resources influences which categorization strategies can be used. More working memory resources are required for rule-based categorization than similarity or exemplar-based categorization. Individuals with ID have limitations in working memory functioning, yet within the memory system there are relative strengths and weaknesses. Whether working memory strengths and weaknesses influence the use of different categorization strategies has never been systematically studied in individuals with ID. Findings from the few cases that have applied current models of categorization to individuals with ID are conflicting. The consequence of not being able to use appropriate categorization strategies has significant implications; individuals would make incorrect inferences regarding a novel object and therefore make inappropriate generalizations. Further, categorization skills are essential for proficiency at many higher order cognitive skills such as language, communication, problem-solving, and reasoning. The specific aims of this application are to 1) determine if working memory functioning predicts the use of specific categorization strategies in individuals with and with ID, and (2) assess whether different learning conditions that place different demands on working memory resources affect the use of categorization strategies. Phonological, visuo-spatial, and central executive measures of working memory will be administered. Artificial categories of different animals and toys will be taught to participants. Stimuli will be designed to allow for evaluation of the type of strategies used by individuals with and without ID during categorization. To create appropriate interventions, it is important to determine whether different learning conditions result in more effective strategy use by individuals with ID. Therefore, the conditions under which participants learn the categories will be manipulated - a passive (observe) and active (classify) - prior to a categorization task.