Specificity of working memory mechanisms in individuals

Herzen State Pedagogical University, 191186, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

^* Corresponding author: klemtina@yandex.ru

Abstract

The research analyzes the capacity of working memory and the mechanisms which determine effectiveness of retrieval in people with long-lasting (from 5 to 20 years) drug use history. The relevance of the research is supported by the fact that the working memory is considered to be a central mechanism of self-control, which, in turn, is considered a leading parameter when an indi-vidual chooses the path to addiction. The research studied 258 people, 151 of whom, 37.1±10.7 years old, have never used substances, and the group of 107, 35.8±7.8 years old, who have long-lasting (from 5 to 20 years) drug use history. The working memory specifics were evaluated by O.Razumnikova’s technique, which allows retrieval of the same set of stimuli presented in different consequence and in three series to be described. The research studied the most discussed mechanisms functioning in the working memory separately: retrieval-induced forgetting and retrieval-based learning. Our data suggest that the structure of the working memory mechanisms does not change along with long-lasting substance use while in case of the RBL effect the difference is threefold: in case of repeated retrieval, the addicts demon-strate insignificant improvement of memorization ability in comparison to the drug-free controls.