Positive Effects of Noise on Cognitve Performance: Explaining the Moderate Brain Arousal Model
Author
Editor
- Barbara Griefahn
Summary, in English
Abstract in Undetermined
Distractors and environmental noise has long been regarded as detrimental for cognitive processing. In particular children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are extremely sensitive to distraction from task irrelevant stimuli. However, recently it has been shown that exposure to auditory white noise facilitated cognitive performance in ADHD children whereas control children performed worse. The moderate brain arousal (MBA) model (Sikström & Söderlund, 2007) suggest that this selective effect of noise adheres from stochastic resonance (SR). This phenomenon occurs in any system where a signal plus noise requires passing of a threshold, for example the all or none nature of action potentials in neural systems. The basic assumption is that noise in the environment, through the perceptual system introduces noise in the neural system. According to the SR phenomenon moderate noise is beneficial for cognitive performance whereas both excessive and insufficient noise is detrimental. The MBA model suggests that the amount of noise required for optimal cognitive performance is modulated by levels of dopamine. The model predictes that low dopamine children, as in ADHD, require more noise compared to high dopamine children for optimal cognitive performance; in short, when dopamine is low noise is good.
Distractors and environmental noise has long been regarded as detrimental for cognitive processing. In particular children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are extremely sensitive to distraction from task irrelevant stimuli. However, recently it has been shown that exposure to auditory white noise facilitated cognitive performance in ADHD children whereas control children performed worse. The moderate brain arousal (MBA) model (Sikström & Söderlund, 2007) suggest that this selective effect of noise adheres from stochastic resonance (SR). This phenomenon occurs in any system where a signal plus noise requires passing of a threshold, for example the all or none nature of action potentials in neural systems. The basic assumption is that noise in the environment, through the perceptual system introduces noise in the neural system. According to the SR phenomenon moderate noise is beneficial for cognitive performance whereas both excessive and insufficient noise is detrimental. The MBA model suggests that the amount of noise required for optimal cognitive performance is modulated by levels of dopamine. The model predictes that low dopamine children, as in ADHD, require more noise compared to high dopamine children for optimal cognitive performance; in short, when dopamine is low noise is good.
Department/s
Publishing year
2008
Language
English
Pages
378-386
Publication/Series
[Host publication title missing]
Document type
Conference paper
Publisher
ICBEN
Topic
- Psychology
Keywords
- ADHD
- noise
- episodic memory
- dopamine
- model
Conference name
ICBEN 2008
Conference date
2008-07-21 - 2008-07-25
Conference place
Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States
Status
Published
Research group
- Division of Cognitive Psychology
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISBN: 978-3-9808342-5-4