关键词: 内隐序列学习, 抑制功能, 刷新功能, 事件相关电位

Abstract: More and more studies in recent years showed the correlations between implicit learning, intelligence and general cognitive abilities, which reflects the individual differences in implicit learning ability. And the relationship between working memory (WM) and implicit sequence learning can help explore the nature of implicit sequence learning. Most early studies suggested no correlation between working memory and implicit sequence learning. However, recent studies demonstrated that working memory span and central executive function are both related to implicit sequence learning. Researchers testing Visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) revealed that working memory span relates to implicit sequence learning significantly. Furthermore, researches on the relationship between central executive function and implicit learning showed that there is negative relationship between central executive function and implicit sequence learning. In order to explore relationship between working memory(especially central executive function) and implicit sequence learning, it is necessary to divide central executive function into inhibition, memory updating and switching. In this study 69 undergraduate students of Soochow University participated the research and they were chosen by random sampling to explored the correlation between implicit sequence learning and central executive function by a series of experiments with different stimuli conditions and different restraint loads. Moreover, together with the technique of event-related potentials (ERPs) it analyzes the brain mechanism involved in implicit sequence learning and central executive function. Experiment 1, as a preliminary investigation into the correlation between implicit sequence learning and central executive function, adopted the currently popular and classic paradigm to research implicit learning --- to test it via implicit learning of serial positions. The central executive function is measured through its three related, independent and separable ingredients of inhibition, memory updating and switching tested respectively by the paradigms of numerical Stroop task, One-back memory updating task and numerical transfer task. In this experiment behavior data and ERP data was collected at the same time. Experiment 2 set the implicit sequence learning environment in the inhibition load condition by using the way of putting the color word Stoop in the sequences and then used the same method to test inhibition, memory updating and switching. Thus, we explored the changed relationship between central execution function and implicit sequence learning in this situation. In experiment 1, the implicit sequence learning showed positive relationship with the reaction time of inhibition(r=0.682,p<0.01), and negative relationship with memory updating scores(r=-0.590,p<0.01), and no significant relationship with reaction time of switching(r=-0.32,p>0.05).The longer reaction time of inhibition is ,the worse the function is. So such results mean there was negative relationship between implicit sequence learning and inhibition and memory updating function. However, there was no significant relationship between implicit sequence learning and switching. In addition, the results showed that implicit sequence learning doesn’t has significant relationship with all of inhibition, memory updating and switching in control group. From the data of ERPs, it showed the same relationship. In experiment 2. The results showed the opposite relationship between implicit sequence learning and reaction time of inhibition(r=-0.434,p<0.05) comparing with that in experiment 1.Which means the relationship between implicit sequence learning and inhibition function turned into positive. And it showed in that situation, implicit sequence learning has no relationship with both memory updating(r=-0.247,p<0.05) and switching(r=-0.324,p<0.05). Specifically, this research can be concluded as follows:1．There is the negative correlation between implicit sequence learning and inhibition and memory updating function but no correlations between implicit sequence learning and switching. 2．Study finds that wave N200 of the inhibition function and the wave P300 of the memory updating function have a significant negative correlation with the difference in waves N200 of implicit sequence learning, which proves the connection in the brain mechanism between implicit sequence learning and central executive function. 3．There is the positive correlative relationship between implicit sequence learning and the central executive function in high load inhibition which suggest that in different situation, there is different relationship between implicit sequence learning and central executive function.

Key words: implicit sequence learning, inhibition, memory updating, canonical correlation analysis