The Effect of Concurrent Auditory Working Memory Task in Auditory Category Learning

In the auditory domain, the role of auditory working memory in shaping strategy selection and performance within both auditory rule-based and information-integration tasks remains unclear. To address this issue, the present study utilized a concurrent auditory working memory paradigm to investigate the impact of working memory on rule-based and information-integration category learning within the auditory domain. Additionally, we employed a categorization strategy model and drift-diffusion model to examine the impact of auditory working memory on auditory category learning. The categorization strategies model revealed that significantly more participants employed the optimal strategy in the control condition compared to the concurrent working memory condition in both the rule-based and information-integration tasks. Furthermore, given that most participants used the rule-based strategy in the information-integration task, the results showed a decrease in accuracy and an increase in reaction time for the concurrent working memory condition relative to the control condition in rule-based category learning. According to the drift-diffusion model, this decline observed under the concurrent working memory condition can be attributed to a reduction in information accumulation speed, increased cautious decision-making, and longer nondecision time. This study suggests that the concurrent working memory task interfered with participants' strategy selection and performance, with decreased performance in the concurrent working memory condition stemming from slower information accumulation and extended nondecision time for the rule-based strategy, while more cautious decision-making was related to the information-integration strategy.