Occupation shapes cognition? The case of restaurant ticket collectors' working memory updating ability

• Published in: Applied cognitive psychology Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 520 - 530
• Main Authors: Zhao, Xin, Jin, Liang, Xiaoliang, Zhu, Maes, Joseph H. R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bognor Regis Wiley 01-05-2023; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: adult; Career Choice; Cognition; Cognitive Ability; Cognitive Processes; cognitive training; Computerization; Executive function; Intelligence; Job Skills; Memory; occupation; Occupations; Program Effectiveness; Repetition; restaurant waiter; Restaurants; Security personnel; Short Term Memory; Skill Development; Task performance; Training Methods; working memory updating
• ISSN: 0888-4080; 1099-0720
• DOI: 10.1002/acp.4055

Previous research revealed associations between an individual's occupation and cognitive abilities. However, the underlying causal relation is not always clear and only few studies focused on a critical component of executive functioning, namely working memory updating (WMU). Study 1 examined whether restaurant ticket collectors (N = 53) have a better WMU ability compared to a group of security guards (N = 49) that was matched on relevant variables. Study 2 examined transfer effects of a computerized working memory training program in students. The program simulated elements of a restaurant ticket collector's daily work requirements. In Study 1, the ticket collectors performed better than the guards on WMU tasks. In Study 2, using an active control group (N = 33) as comparison, the trained students (N = 33) displayed beneficial training effects on transfer WMU tasks but not on general intelligence tasks. The results support the general notion of repeated experience with occupation‐specific demands affecting specific objectively‐assessed cognitive abilities.