Abstract

In cognitive science, working memory is a core cognitive ability that might be functionally related to other capacities, such as perceptual processes, inhibitory control, memory and attention processes and executive functions. The mathematical study of working memory has been explored before. However, there is not enough research aiming to study the relationship between working memory and inhibitory control. This is the objective of the present report. Bayesian hypothesis testing is often more robust than traditional p-value null hypothesis testing. Yet, the number of studies using this approach is still limited. A secondary objective of this paper is to contribute to fill that gap, as well as provide an empirical application of Bayesian hypothesis testing using cognitive and behavioral data. A within-subjects design was used to measure working memory function for three types of visual stimuli that varied in the degree of attentional interference they were designed to elicit. Data collected was contrasted with measurements of inhibitory control and analyzed using Bayes’ theorem. Our results provide evidence against the theoretical relationship of working memory and inhibitory control. This outcome is analyzed in light of related cognitive research.

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