Two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attention

Abstract It has been proposed that only one visual working memory (VWM) representation can be activated to influence perception directly, whereas other VWM representations are accessory items which have little influence on visual selection. The sole active VWM representation might reflect a fundamen...

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Main Authors: Yanan Chen, Feng Du
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2017-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05865-1
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author Yanan Chen
Feng Du
author_facet Yanan Chen
Feng Du
author_sort Yanan Chen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract It has been proposed that only one visual working memory (VWM) representation can be activated to influence perception directly, whereas other VWM representations are accessory items which have little influence on visual selection. The sole active VWM representation might reflect a fundamental bottleneck in the information processing of human beings. However, the present study showed that each of two VWM representations can capture attention and interfere with concurrent visual search. In addition, each of two VWM representations can interfere with concurrent visual search as much as can a single cued VWM representation. Moreover, when two memory-matching distractors appear in visual search, two VWM representations produce a larger memory-driven capture effect than a single memory-matching distractor. Thus, two VWM representations can simultaneously control attention.
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spelling doaj.art-3f7d17d018cc46f9950b45bf5adfdcbc2022-12-21T20:35:34ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222017-07-017111110.1038/s41598-017-05865-1Two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attentionYanan Chen0Feng Du1CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesCAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract It has been proposed that only one visual working memory (VWM) representation can be activated to influence perception directly, whereas other VWM representations are accessory items which have little influence on visual selection. The sole active VWM representation might reflect a fundamental bottleneck in the information processing of human beings. However, the present study showed that each of two VWM representations can capture attention and interfere with concurrent visual search. In addition, each of two VWM representations can interfere with concurrent visual search as much as can a single cued VWM representation. Moreover, when two memory-matching distractors appear in visual search, two VWM representations produce a larger memory-driven capture effect than a single memory-matching distractor. Thus, two VWM representations can simultaneously control attention.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05865-1
spellingShingle Yanan Chen
Feng Du
Two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attention
Scientific Reports
title Two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attention
title_full Two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attention
title_fullStr Two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attention
title_full_unstemmed Two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attention
title_short Two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attention
title_sort two visual working memory representations simultaneously control attention
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05865-1
work_keys_str_mv AT yananchen twovisualworkingmemoryrepresentationssimultaneouslycontrolattention
AT fengdu twovisualworkingmemoryrepresentationssimultaneouslycontrolattention