CHAPTER 9 Working Memory Capacity : Self - Control Is ( in ) the Goal

Self"control is defined in relation to current goals of an organism. Working memory capacity (WMC) is defined as a cognitive system for maintaining access to goal representations as needed. Self-control depends on cognitive control, which depends in large part on WMC. We discuss the proposal that WMC reflects the abilities to control attention and to control retrieval from long-term memory. From within this dual-component framework (Unsworth & Engle, 2007} we discuss research that has exam­ ined relations between WMC and some types of mental self-control failure like over-general autobio­ graphical memories, intrusive thoughts, and mind-wandering. We also discuss research examining the relation between WMC and delay discounting, a popular experimental paradigm for assessing self­ control (Rachlin, 2000). Evidence suggests that for some of these phenomena, WMC is a more primary factor than the associated clinical disorders. In other cases, WMC appears to be secondary to other fac­ tors such as intelligence. Across these mixed findings at least two generalities can be derived. The posi­ tive findings demonstrate that individual differences in WMC can be a confounding "third variable" for a proposed relation between, for example, depression and over-general autobiographical memories (Dalgleish et a!., 2007). On the other hand, the negative findings illustrate that individual differences in WMC can obscure more primary influences in a situation like delay discounting (Shamosh et a!., 2008). In either case it would be advisable for researchers to measure WMC as a participant factor, if only to control a major source of interindividual variability in their data. Overall, we hold to our position that WMC is critically important for maintaining good self-control in support of a wide variety of goals.