Enhanced Working Memory Representations for Rare Events

Abstract

Rare events (oddballs) produce a variety of enhanced physiological responses relative to frequent events (standards), including the P3b component of the event-related potential (ERP) waveform. Previous research has suggested that the P3b component is related to working memory, which implies that working memory representations will be enhanced for rare stimuli. To test this hypothesis, we devised a modified oddball paradigm in which the target was a disk presented at one of 16 different locations, which were divided into a rare set and a frequent set. Participants made a binary response on each trial to report whether the target appeared in the rare set or the frequent set. As expected, the P3b was much larger for stimuli appearing at a location within the rare set. We also included occasional probe trials in which the subject reported the exact location of the target. We found that these reports were more accurate for locations within the rare set than for locations within the frequent set. Moreover, the mean accuracy of these reports was correlated with the mean amplitude of the P3b. We also applied multivariate pattern analysis to the ERP data to 'decode' the remembered location of the target. Decoding accuracy was greater for locations within the rare set than for locations within the frequent set. These behavioral and electrophysiological results demonstrate that although both frequent and rare events are stored in working memory, the representations are enhanced for rare events.