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Exploring the Role of Working Memory in Dynamic Social Cue Decoding Using Dual Task Methodology

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Abstract

Decoding nonverbal social cues involves skills such as understanding emotions and discerning kin relationships. Social cue decoding has been described as an automatic process which does not tax cognitive resources. However, clinical deficits in social decoding are often interpreted in terms of deficits in attention and working memory. Two experiments are described which used dual task methodology to investigate the role of working memory in dynamic social cue decoding tasks: the Interpersonal Perception Task (IPT, Experiment 1) and the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS, Experiment 2). Results revealed that decoding social cues from the IPT did not require working memory resources, while social perception in the PONS made heavy demands on working memory. Implications for theoretical interpretation of these tasks and their use in clinical populations are discussed.

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Notes

  1. SPSS produces partial eta-squared measures of effect size. For the differences between classical and partial eta-squared as effect size measures see Pierce, Block, and Aguinis (2004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB24 2UB, UK

    Louise H. Phillips & Mary Tunstall

  2. Department of Psychology, University College London, London, UK

    Shelley Channon

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Durham, Durham, UK

    Mary Tunstall

Authors
  1. Louise H. Phillips
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  2. Mary Tunstall
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  3. Shelley Channon
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Correspondence to Louise H. Phillips.

Additional information

Mary Tunstall is now at the Department of Psychology, University of Durham.

This research was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council.

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Phillips, L.H., Tunstall, M. & Channon, S. Exploring the Role of Working Memory in Dynamic Social Cue Decoding Using Dual Task Methodology. J Nonverbal Behav 31, 137–152 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-007-0026-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-007-0026-6

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