RT Journal Article
A1 Quirós-Godoy, María
A1 Botella, Juan
A1 Gil-Gómez de Liaño, Beatriz
T1 A concurrent working memory load task does not impair visual selective attention: A meta-analysis
JF Journal of Vision
JO Journal of Vision
YR 2017
DO 10.1167/17.10.967
VO 17
IS 10
SP 967
OP 967
SN 1534-7362
AB  Many studies have investigated how selective attention can be modulated by information maintained in Working Memory (WM) within a dual-task paradigm. In those studies, an attentional task must be performed while a concurrent working memory load task must be done at the same time. While some studies have found that memory loads can impair attentional performance, others have not found such effects, and even a few of them have shown an improvement of attentional selection when memory is loaded. De Fockert (2013) made a first attempt to integrate the results of most of those studies. The main conclusion he made from the results of his study was that loading WM does in fact impair attention. The objective of the present study was to re-analyse most of those studies (and a few others meeting inclusion criteria) improving his work by using the meta-analytical methodology on the interaction between WM and attention. Interestingly, the main finding of the present study contradicts De Fockert's: We have found a non-significant combined effect size, that is, there is no interaction between WM and attentional processes in those dual-task studies. However, there is in fact an important heterogeneity among effect sizes (I2 > 90%) worth to explore for an explanation. We discuss how several variables may have an impact modulating those effects. Finally, we have also detected an important publication bias: there is a tendency to publish significant results, leaving unpublished those studies finding no significant results. This publication bias strengthens our results, which are also in accordance with theories explaining at least part of the heterogeneous results among those studies (Olivers et al., 2011). Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2017 
RD 3/8/2021
UL https://doi.org/10.1167/17.10.967