Key result
Baseline-to-task changes in heart rate and EEG power uniquely predicted variability in working memory performance at 10 months of age, but not at 5 months.
Why the study?
Does performance on a working memory task affect EEG and heart rate measures in infants at 5 and 10 months of age?
Observational
Does performance on a working memory task affect EEG and heart rate measures in infants at 5 and 10 months of age?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Heart rate and EEG power changes during a working memory task predict performance variability in 10-month-old but not 5-month-old infants, reflecting frontal lobe development.
We recorded electroencephalogram (EEG; 6-9 Hz) and heart rate (HR) from infants at 5 and 10 months of age during baseline and performance on the looking A-not-B task of infant working memory (WM). Longitudinal baseline-to-task comparisons revealed WM-related increases in EEG power (all electrodes) and EEG coherence (medial frontal-occipital electrode pairs) at both ages. WM-related decreases in HR were only present at 5 months, and WM-related increases in EEG coherence became more localized by 10 months. Regression analyses revealed that baseline-to-task changes in psychophysiology accounted for variability in WM performance at 10 but not 5 months. HR and EEG power (medial frontal and lateral frontal electrodes) were unique predictors of variability in 10-month WM performance. These findings are discussed in relation to frontal lobe development and represent the first comprehensive longitudinal analysis of age-related changes in the behavioral and psychophysiological correlates of WM.
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Cuevas et al. (2011) conducted an observational in Working memory development. Working memory task (looking A-not-B task) vs. Baseline was evaluated on EEG power, EEG coherence, and heart rate. Baseline-to-task changes in heart rate and EEG power uniquely predicted variability in working memory performance at 10 months of age, but not at 5 months.
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