Dimmendaal, Julie (2026) The Influence of Frontal Theta-tACS on Verbal versus Visuospatial Working Memory Performance. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
|
Text
BachelorThesisJ.Dimmendaal.pdf Download (395kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is a system that is responsible for storing and manipulating information necessary for cognitive tasks. It can be broadly divided into a verbal and visuospatial component. Although much research has been conducted it still remains unclear whether brain stimulation affects both verbal and visuospatial WM similarly. Therefore, this study aims to investigate what the effects are on verbal and visuospatial WM performance using fronto theta transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). A single blind, within-subject, placebo-controlled study was conducted to investigate the effects. The verbal WM was assessed using a letter-based N-back task whereas the visuospatial WM was assessed with a Change Detection Task (CDT). A repeated measures design was used that consisted out of two sessions (active/sham condition). Healthy adults (N=20) were recruited using a convenience sample and later randomized and counterbalanced. The results show that fronto theta-tACS did not affect the verbal WM. In contrast, the visuospatial did show an effect of fronto theta-tACS. The visuospatial WM task showed a higher accuracy when active stimulation was applied. The effect of the stimulation emerged more clearly as task difficulty increased. This indicates that the effect of tACS is influenced by task difficulty. However, the results should be interpreted with caution as possible ceiling effects may have occurred for the verbal WM task, leading to no significant results. In addition, the small sample size may have contributed to less clear results. Nevertheless, the present study contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms of tACS in modulating specific types of WM.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Wischnewski, M. and Nieuwenstein, M.R. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jan 2026 07:10 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jan 2026 07:10 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/6086 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |