Working memory plays an essential role in many activities that are not tests of memory per se. The ability to hold the present context or goals of a complex task in mind requires working memory (Cohen, Cohen, & Ayache, 1992; Kimberg & Farah, 1993). More specifically, working memory is an underlying component of psychological self-regulation, which has been found to be deficient in children at risk for drug use (Tarter, Kirisci, Habeych, Reynolds, & Vanyukov, 2004). Working memory is most reliably associated with dorsolateral PFC (Mehta et al., 2000). We administered four tasks to assess this important function.
