Working memory content guides attention: The effects of working memory capacity and state anxiety

Abstract

Previous studies showed that working memory (WM) content can guide attention; however, whether working memory capacity (WMC) and state anxiety could affect this remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the effect of WMC and state anxiety on attention guided by WM content. Participants with high and low WMC were assigned to either a neutral or an anxiety condition. They were asked to perform a modified change detection task with irrelevant singletons while their event-related potentials were recorded. N2pc and Pd were observed in the low-WMC and anxiety group, and Pd was observed in both the high-WMC and anxiety and the high-WMC and control groups, whereas neither N2pc nor Pd was found in the low-WMC and control group. These findings suggest that attention is guided or suppressed by WM content, depending on the WMC and anxiety level of the individual. This study provides a new perspective on WM content-guided attention.