On the relation between working memory capacity and the antisaccade task.

Abstract

Eight experiments (N = 2,003) assessed the relation between working memory capacity (WMC) and performance on the antisaccade task. Experiments 1-5 and 7 examined individual differences in aspects of goal management processes occurring during the preparatory delay of the antisaccade task. WMC tended to interact with delay interval suggesting that high WMC individuals better prepared for the upcoming trial by activating the task goal to a higher level than low WMC individuals (although these effects were generally small). Experiments 3a, 4, and 7 further demonstrated that individual differences in the consistency of attention (i.e., lapses of attention) were partially important for the relation between WMC and antisaccade performance. Experiment 5 demonstrated that knowledge of the likelihood of target location increased overall performance, but did not interact with WMC. Experiment 6 manipulated stimulus onset asynchrony and suggested that speed factors are also likely important for the relation between WMC and antisaccade performance. Finally, structural equation models in Experiment 7 suggested that lapses of attention and speed factors partially accounted for the relation between WMC and antisaccade, but WMC still accounted for unique variance in antisaccade. Collectively, the results suggest that multiple factors (goal activation, consistency of attention, and speed factors) contribute to the relation between variation in WMC and performance on the antisaccade task.