Individual differences in rate of encoding predict estimates of visual short-term memory capacity (K).

Jannati, Ali; McDonald, John J.; Lollo, Vincent Di

doi:10.1037/cep0000048

Cited by 10 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This analysis was premised on the hypothesis that high-and low-capacity individuals differ in terms of processing speed (33). This general hypothesis translated into a specific prediction that high-capacity individuals implement a distractor-suppression mechanism faster than do low-capacity individuals.…”

Section: Distractor-suppression Activity Predicts Individual Differenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inability to suppress salient distractors predicts low visual working memory capacity

Gaspar

Christie

Prime

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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According to contemporary accounts of visual working memory (vWM), the ability to efficiently filter relevant from irrelevant information contributes to an individual's overall vWM capacity. Although there is mounting evidence for this hypothesis, very little is known about the precise filtering mechanism responsible for controlling access to vWM and for differentiating low-and high-capacity individuals. Theoretically, the inefficient filtering observed in lowcapacity individuals might be specifically linked to problems enhancing relevant items, suppressing irrelevant items, or both. To find out, we recorded neurophysiological activity associated with attentional selection and active suppression during a competitive visual search task. We show that high-capacity individuals actively suppress salient distractors, whereas low-capacity individuals are unable to suppress salient distractors in time to prevent those items from capturing attention. These results demonstrate that individual differences in vWM capacity are associated with the timing of a specific attentional control operation that suppresses processing of salient but irrelevant visual objects and restricts their access to higher stages of visual processing.suppression | attention | working memory | event-related potentials | distractor positivity E ach day, human observers perform numerous tasks that require temporary storage of information about objects in the surrounding visual environment. Laboratory studies have revealed substantial variability across neurologically healthy adults in the ability to keep such visuospatial information in mind (1-4). Originally, this variability was attributed to individual differences in the capacity of visual working memory (vWM). According to this account, the maximum amount of information that can be entered into vWM at one time, or the number of "slots" available to store the information, varies across individuals (3,(5)(6)(7)(8). Other contemporary accounts, however, relate the individual differences in vWM performance to variability in attentional control, as well as capacity (9-12). One such attention-based perspective holds that when faced with multiple visual objects, low-capacity individuals have difficulty filtering relevant from irrelevant information (11-15). More specifically, this filtering-efficiency hypothesis proposes that attention regulates the flow of sensory information to the limited-capacity vWM system and that consuming capacity with task-irrelevant information effectively reduces storage capacity for task-relevant items. This hypothesis helps to explain why lowcapacity individuals sometimes store more items in vWM than do high-capacity individuals: whereas high-capacity individuals encode only task-relevant items, low-capacity individuals encode irrelevant items along with task-relevant items (15).Although there is mounting evidence for the filtering-efficiency hypothesis, little is known about the precise mechanism responsible for controlling access to vWM or how its operation differs in low...

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Section: Distractor-suppression Activity Predicts Individual Differenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inability to suppress salient distractors predicts low visual working memory capacity

Gaspar

Christie

Prime

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

154

163

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“…Conceptually, these effects of pre-existing LTM on VSTM formation are independent of its effect on VSTM storage capacity, considering the theoretical and empirical dissociation between VSTM consolidation speed and storage capacity (Bundesen, 1990;Cowan, 2001;Luck & Vogel, 1997;Miller, 1956;Vogel et al, 2006; but see Jannati, McDonald, & Di Lollo, 2015). It is thus possible that preexisting LTM may or may not affect the total number of items one can ultimately remember in a VSTM task (i.e., Figure 2A vs. 2B, 2C vs. 2D).…”

Section: Potential Impacts Of Pre-existing Ltm On the Formation Of Vstmmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the SOA between memory and mask displays increases (Figure 1B), the numbers of encoded/consolidated VSTM representations increase with the duration lapsed after stimulus onset, until the total number of VSTM representations an observer can eventually remember is reached, which is often referred to as VSTM storage capacity (Cowan, 2001). After this asymptote, the total number of encoded VSTM representations stays at capacity over a short delay period (Bundesen, 1990;Cowan, 2001;Luck & Vogel, 1997;Miller, 1956;Vogel et al, 2006; but see Jannati, McDonald, & Di Lollo, 2015 for a summary of an alternative view), unless it is further affected by factors or processes, such as maintenance and rehearsal (Bayliss, Bogdanovs, & Jarrold, 2015;Woodman & Vogel, 2005). Vogel and Luck (2006).…”

Section: Potential Impacts Of Pre-existing Ltm On the Formation Of Vstmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-existing long-term memory facilitates the formation of visual short-term memory

Zhang¹

2021

Preprint

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The current chapter aims to solidify converging observations in the literature concerning the contribution of pre-existing LTM to the formation of VSTM. Our approach primarily focuses on identifying conditions under which pre-existing LTM can facilitate VSTM (Xie & Zhang, 2017c), instead of the traditional focus on whether or not pre-existing LTM affects VSTM task performance (e.g., Brady, Störmer, & Alvarez, 2016; Quirk, Adam, & Vogel, 2020). This approach could provide a novel context for the development of theories about VSTM, LTM, and their interactions. Here, we will begin with some theoretical predictions of the roles of pre-existing LTM in VSTM formation. Next, we will summarize converging evidence from behavioral and neural data in support of some of these predictions. Finally, we will discuss mechanisms underlying these empirical observations and propose some open questions for future investigations.

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“…WM consolidation is a time-dependent process that is theoretically and empirically dissociable from WM maintenance and rehearsal (Bayliss, Bogdanovs, & Jarrold, 2015;Woodman & Vogel, 2005). Furthermore, parallel to a limited WM storage capacity (Cowan, 2001;Luck & Vogel, 2013), the speed of WM consolidation can add another constraint on WM task performance (Alvarez & Cavanagh, 2004;Baddeley, Thomson, & Buchanan, 1975;Bundesen, 1990;Cavanagh, 1972;Jannati, McDonald, & Di Lollo, 2015;Ricker, Nieuwenstein, Bayliss, & Barrouillet, 2018;Vogel, Woodman, & Luck, 2006;Xie & Zhang, 2017b, 2018a.…”

Section: Time-dependent Influence Of Induced Negative Arousal On Wmmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These SOA time points therefore reflect the earlier and later consolidation phases, respectively. The difference in the numbers of encoded items between these SOA time points can therefore be used as a proxy measure for WM consolidation speed (Jannati et al, 2015;Xie & Zhang, 2017b).…”

Section: Time-dependent Influence Of Induced Negative Arousal On Wmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Induced Negative Arousal Modulates the Speed of Visual Working Memory Consolidation

Jll¹,

A²,

Zhang³

2021

Preprint

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This study examines how induced negative arousal influences the consolidation of fragile sensory inputs into durable working memory (WM) representations. Participants performed a visual WM change detection task with different amounts of encoding time manipulated by random pattern masks inserted at different levels of memory-and-mask Stimulus-Onset-Asynchrony (SOA). Prior to the WM task, negative or neutral emotion was induced using audio clips from the International Affective Digital Sounds (IADS). Pupillometry was simultaneously recorded to provide an objective measure of induced arousal. Self-report measures of early-life stress (i.e., adverse childhood experiences) and current mood states (i.e., depressed mood and anxious feeling) were also collected as covariates. We find that participants encode more items into WM at a longer memory-and-mask SOA under induced negative arousal, while their performance at a shorter memory-and-mask SOA or no mask conditions is highly comparable between negative and neutral conditions. These findings suggest that induced negative arousal can speed up WM consolidation. Furthermore, this emotional effect on WM consolidation speed is moderated by key affect-related individual differences. Participants who have greater pupil responses to negative IADS sounds or have more early-life stress show faster WM consolidation under induced negative arousal. Collectively, our findings reveal a critical role of phasic adrenergic responses in the rapid consolidation of visual WM content and the potential moderators of this association.

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Individual differences in rate of encoding predict estimates of visual short-term memory capacity (K).

Cited by 10 publications

References 35 publications

Inability to suppress salient distractors predicts low visual working memory capacity

Inability to suppress salient distractors predicts low visual working memory capacity

Pre-existing long-term memory facilitates the formation of visual short-term memory

Induced Negative Arousal Modulates the Speed of Visual Working Memory Consolidation

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