{"id":{"repo_id":"buffalo","oai_identifier":"oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86650"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/buffalo/oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86650","repository":{"repo_id":"buffalo","name":"Buffalo","base_url":"https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Differential Changes in Electrophysiological Event-Related Oscillations Following Adaptive Working Memory and Visual Search Training","abstract":"M.A.","abstract_html":"M.A.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gregory, Madeline; 0000-0001-5529-4008"],"institution":"State University of New York at Buffalo","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Shucard, David","Psychology"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-02-21T21:36:02Z","date_published":"2025-02-21T21:36:02Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:34Z","subjects":["psychology","neurosciences","behavioral sciences"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86650","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Shucard, David","Psychology"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gregory, Madeline; 0000-0001-5529-4008"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-02-21T21:36:02Z","2020"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["State University of New York at Buffalo"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["psychology","neurosciences","behavioral sciences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86650"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["M.A.","In the past 15 years, a growing body of literature has examined the possibility that working memory (WM) can be improved with targeted training; however, disagreement remains regarding the effectiveness of WM training. Several studies have examined the neural correlates of WM, using methods that include Event-Related Potentials (ERPs). The present study examined the effects of two training protocols on measures of cognitive and behavioral performance, and neurophysiological functioning, as indexed by event-related oscillatory activity (event-related synchronization; ERS; and event-related desynchronization; ERD). The primary measures of interest were midfrontal ERS in the theta frequency band (4 – 8 Hz) and midline parietal ERD in the alpha frequency band (8 – 15 Hz). Participants underwent training on one of two different possible training protocols, either verbal WM or perceptual search training. Training was adaptive and consisted of 20 sessions completed over the course of four weeks for five days per week. Participants visited the laboratory both prior to and following training, during which time they performed several tasks while electroencephalogram (EEG) data was recorded. They also underwent neuropsychological/psychometric testing. The tasks performed before and after training included versions of the two training tasks, as well as another WM task. Oscillatory activity was extracted from each participant's EEG data using a complex Morlet wavelet convolution, implemented using the fast Fourier transform (FFT). ERS/ERD values were then extracted from the theta (ERS values) and alpha (ERD values) frequency bands. ERS was computed as the maximum increase in power compared to baseline (pre-stimulus) whereas the ERD was computed as the maximum decrease in power. Data were extracted from both frontal (Fz) and parietal (Pz) electrode clusters. These values were examined to determine whether there were differences between training groups (n-back or search), session (pre-test, post-test) and electrode cluster (Fz, Pz) for each task. Correlational analyses were used to assess the relationship between ERS/ERD and task performance at pre- and post-test, as well as changes in neuropsychological/psychometric test performance from pre- to post-test. Overall, results indicated that n-back training was unique in producing increased theta ERS during a Verbal 3-back task. Both n-back and search training resulted in increased theta ERS during an untrained spatial WM task. Both training protocols produced increased alpha ERD during a Search task. Further, there were specific associations between these ERS/ERD measures and behavioral measures. There was generally more variability between individuals in terms of performance at pre-test compared to post-test, which affected the strength of the correlations with ERS/ERD measures. Increased frontal theta ERS during the trained perceptual task was associated with improvement on a task of fluid intelligence, and during the untrained spatial WM task was associated with improvement on a task of WM/PS. As well, decreased parietal alpha ERD during the untrained spatial WM task was associated with improvement on a task of fluid intelligence. These results suggest that examination of oscillatory activity before and after cognitive training can provide unique insights about changes in brain processes that result from cognitive training.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Differential Changes in Electrophysiological Event-Related Oscillations Following Adaptive Working Memory and Visual Search Training"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Shucard, David","Psychology"],"dc:creator":["Gregory, Madeline; 0000-0001-5529-4008"],"dc:date":["2025-02-21T21:36:02Z","2020"],"dc:description":["M.A.","In the past 15 years, a growing body of literature has examined the possibility that working memory (WM) can be improved with targeted training; however, disagreement remains regarding the effectiveness of WM training. Several studies have examined the neural correlates of WM, using methods that include Event-Related Potentials (ERPs). The present study examined the effects of two training protocols on measures of cognitive and behavioral performance, and neurophysiological functioning, as indexed by event-related oscillatory activity (event-related synchronization; ERS; and event-related desynchronization; ERD). The primary measures of interest were midfrontal ERS in the theta frequency band (4 – 8 Hz) and midline parietal ERD in the alpha frequency band (8 – 15 Hz). Participants underwent training on one of two different possible training protocols, either verbal WM or perceptual search training. Training was adaptive and consisted of 20 sessions completed over the course of four weeks for five days per week. Participants visited the laboratory both prior to and following training, during which time they performed several tasks while electroencephalogram (EEG) data was recorded. They also underwent neuropsychological/psychometric testing. The tasks performed before and after training included versions of the two training tasks, as well as another WM task. Oscillatory activity was extracted from each participant's EEG data using a complex Morlet wavelet convolution, implemented using the fast Fourier transform (FFT). ERS/ERD values were then extracted from the theta (ERS values) and alpha (ERD values) frequency bands. ERS was computed as the maximum increase in power compared to baseline (pre-stimulus) whereas the ERD was computed as the maximum decrease in power. Data were extracted from both frontal (Fz) and parietal (Pz) electrode clusters. These values were examined to determine whether there were differences between training groups (n-back or search), session (pre-test, post-test) and electrode cluster (Fz, Pz) for each task. Correlational analyses were used to assess the relationship between ERS/ERD and task performance at pre- and post-test, as well as changes in neuropsychological/psychometric test performance from pre- to post-test. Overall, results indicated that n-back training was unique in producing increased theta ERS during a Verbal 3-back task. Both n-back and search training resulted in increased theta ERS during an untrained spatial WM task. Both training protocols produced increased alpha ERD during a Search task. Further, there were specific associations between these ERS/ERD measures and behavioral measures. There was generally more variability between individuals in terms of performance at pre-test compared to post-test, which affected the strength of the correlations with ERS/ERD measures. Increased frontal theta ERS during the trained perceptual task was associated with improvement on a task of fluid intelligence, and during the untrained spatial WM task was associated with improvement on a task of WM/PS. As well, decreased parietal alpha ERD during the untrained spatial WM task was associated with improvement on a task of fluid intelligence. These results suggest that examination of oscillatory activity before and after cognitive training can provide unique insights about changes in brain processes that result from cognitive training.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86650"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["State University of New York at Buffalo"],"dc:rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"dc:subject":["psychology","neurosciences","behavioral sciences"],"dc:title":["Differential Changes in Electrophysiological Event-Related Oscillations Following Adaptive Working Memory and Visual Search Training"],"dc:type":["Text","Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:34Z"}