Hierarchical organization in visual working memory: From global ensemble to individual object structure

Nie, Qi-Yang; Müller, Hermann J.; Conci, Markus

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2016.11.009

Cited by 32 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Instead, we show that, when presented with more objects than the maximum capacity, observers can still store high-quality representations of a subset of the objects, without retaining any information about the others. However, within the limited number of items that can be retained, a variable resource is available to represent the to-be-memorized objects (Nie, Müller, & Conci, 2017;Zhang & Luck, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Object maintenance beyond their visible parts in working memory

Chen

Töllner

Müller

et al. 2018

Journal of Neurophysiology

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Completion of a partially occluded object requires that a representation of the whole is constructed based on the information provided by the physically specified parts of the stimulus. Such processes of amodal completion rely on the generation and maintenance of a mental image that renders the completed object in visual working memory (VWM). The present study examined this relationship between VWM storage and processes of object completion. We recorded event-related potentials to track VWM maintenance by means of the contralateral delay activity (CDA) during a change detection task in which composite objects (notched shapes abutting an occluding shape) to be memorized were primed to induce either a globally completed object or a noncompleted, mosaic representation. The results revealed an effect of completion in VWM despite physically identical visual input: change detection was more accurate for completed compared with mosaic representations when observers were required to memorize two objects, and these differences were reduced with four memorized items. At the electrophysiological level, globally completed (vs. mosaic) objects gave rise to a corresponding increase in CDA amplitudes. These results indicate that although incorporating the occluded portions of the presented shapes requires mnemonic resources, the complete object representations thus formed in VWM improve change detection performance by providing a more simple, regular shape. Overall, these findings demonstrate that mechanisms of object completion modulate VWM, with the memory load being determined by the structured representations of the memorized stimuli. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study shows that completion of partially occluded objects requires visual working memory (VWM) resources. In the experiment reported, we induced observers to memorize a given visual input either as completed or as noncompleted objects. The results revealed both a behavioral performance advantage for completed vs. noncompleted objects despite physically identical input, and an associated modulation of an electrophysiological component that reflects VWM object retention, thus indicating that constructing an integrated object consumes mnemonic resources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Object maintenance beyond their visible parts in working memory

Chen

Töllner

Müller

et al. 2018

Journal of Neurophysiology

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“…3a) might already motivate a maximization of individual‐item representations, but at least one ensemble representation may have to be held mandatorily. Under different task conditions, participants might decide to encode the displays at higher levels of abstraction, thus moving from representations of single features (individual items) to representations containing multiple features (i.e., they could decide to strategically use more ensemble‐like representations; e.g., Greene & Oliva, ; Nie, Müller, & Conci, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two good reasons to say ‘change!’ – ensemble representations as well as item representations impact standard measures of VWM capacity

Liesefeld

Müller

2018

British J of Psychology

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Visual working memory (VWM) is a central bottleneck in human information processing. Its capacity is most often measured in terms of how many individual-item representations VWM can hold (k). In the standard task employed to estimate k, an array of highly discriminable colour patches is maintained and, after a short retention interval, compared to a test display (change detection). Recent research has shown that with more complex, structured displays, change-detection performance is, in addition to individual-item representations, supported by ensemble representations formed as a result of spatial subgroupings. Here, by asking participants to additionally localize the change, we reveal indication for an influence of ensemble representations even in the very simple, unstructured displays of the colour-patch change-detection task. Critically, pure-item models from which standard formulae of k are derived do not consider ensemble representations and, therefore, potentially overestimate k. To gauge this overestimation, we develop an item-plus-ensemble model of change detection and change localization. Estimates of k from this new model are about 1 item (~30%) lower than the estimates from traditional pure-item models, even if derived from the same data sets.

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“…Although many studies have assumed that features or objects are represented independently of each other in WM, recent evidence suggests that these representations are organized in a hierarchically structured fashion (Nie et al, 2017). Some researchers propose that the cognitive processes (i.e., WM) involved in combining objects in a hierarchical organization and combining words into sentences are homologous and occur in the same neural structure (Fadiga et al, 2009;Greenfield, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing the evolutionary trajectory of verbal working memory with neuro-archaeology

Putt

Wijeakumar

2018

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We used optical neuroimaging to explore the extent of functional overlap between working memory (WM) networks involved in language and Early Stone Age toolmaking behaviors. Oldowan tool production activates two verbal WM areas, but the functions of these areas are indistinguishable from general auditory WM, suggesting that the first hominin toolmakers relied on early precursors of verbal WM to make simple flake tools. Early Acheulian toolmaking elicits activity in a region bordering on Broca’s area that is involved in both visual and verbal WM tasks. The sensorimotor and mirror neurons in this area, along with enhancement of general WM capabilities around 1.8 million years ago, may have provided the scaffolding upon which a WM network dedicated to processing exclusively linguistic information could evolve. In the road map going forward, neuro-archaeologists should investigate the trajectory of WM over the course of human evolution to better understand its contribution to language origins.

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Hierarchical organization in visual working memory: From global ensemble to individual object structure

Cited by 32 publications

References 44 publications

Object maintenance beyond their visible parts in working memory

Object maintenance beyond their visible parts in working memory

Two good reasons to say ‘change!’ – ensemble representations as well as item representations impact standard measures of VWM capacity

Tracing the evolutionary trajectory of verbal working memory with neuro-archaeology

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