Simple drawing and pattern completion techniques for studying visualization and long-term visual knowledge

Abstract

Simple and efficient drawing and completion tasks for studying visual memory are developed. In Experiment 1 subjects reproduced a series of matrix patterns by filling empty matrices. The serial position function was flat, except that accuracy was much higher for final patterns. In Experiment 2 this recency effect was removed by an interpolated pattern classification task. Experiments 3 and 4 examined the effect of counting backward during intervals of from 3 to 15 sec on the recall of single patterns. Drawings were much less accurate after filled intervals but the duration of the interval had no effect. Experiment 5 tested retention of series of patterns using a completion task. On immediate test the serial position function was the same as in Experiments 1 and 2. On a final test accuracy was unchanged except for final items, which then showed a small negative recency effect. It is argued that performance is so similar in the drawing, completion, and previously reported recognition tasks because in all it is based upon the use of general-purpose knowledge accessible to voluntary processing. Visualization in these tasks is analogous to but different from verbal STM. One main difference is that there is no sign of temporary storage of visualized information after attention has turned to other things.Many investigations of both normal and pathological function suggest that human visual cognition involves components analogous to the short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) components of verbal cognition (e.g., Kroll, 1975; Warrington & Weiskrantz, 1973). One way of investigating this functional specialization is by studying memory for novel visual configurations. Memory for a series of such patterns has recency and long-term components that are even more distinct than are the analogous components in verbal memory (Phillips & Christie, 1977a, 1977b. These experiments used single-item probe or reverse serial order testing techniques and found a large recency effect for the fmal item of a series but a completely flat serial position function otherwise. Mental arithmetic during the retention interval entirely removed the advantage to the final item but did not affect performance on the other items, producing a completely flat serial position function. Conversely, presentation rate did not affect performance on the fmal items but did affect performance on the other items (phillips & Christie, 1977a). The interpretation offered was that performance on the final item depended upon active visualization of that item throughout the interval between presentation and test, whereas performance on all other items depended upon whatever long-term knowledge had been

Object naming induces reliance on orientation-independent representations during longer-term, but not short-term, visual remembering

“…Indeed, Christie and Phillips (1979) deliberately set out to show that their conceptualisation of visual remembering extends to drawing as a test of memory.…”

What limits working memory capacity?

“…The processing task impaired memory compared to a condition with unfilled RI, but did not lead to faster forgetting over time. Christie and Phillips (1979) asked participants to reproduce patterns of randomly filled grids after variable RIs during which they counted backwards in steps of three. Distractor processing reduced memory compared to a condition with unfilled RI, but the duration of the RI had no effect, mirroring the findings of Oberauer andLewandowsky (2013, 2014) with verbal memoranda combined with non-verbal distractor, which also found that memory was unaffected by the duration for which the distractor task had to be carried out.…”

Dissociations in the Processing of “What” and “Where” Information in Working Memory: An Event-Related Potential Analysis

“…While a lot of research has examined the functions and characteristics of the phonological loop (e.g., Vallar & Baddeley, 1982;Burani, Vallar, & Bottini, 1991), the visuospatial sketchpad has received less attention and its mechanisms ate notas well understood (see also Logie, 1986). In fact, despite the growing evidence for the working memory model several aspects concerning the visuospatial sketchpad require further specification: For example, based on interference effects obtained in dual task paradigms, several researchers have doubted the existence of a posticon temporary store of visual information and have suggested that general resources ate involved in encoding and processing of visuospatial information (Christie & Philips, 1979). In addition, it remains to be specified whether the visuospatial sketchpad is a unitary systern or is composed of different subcomponents, specialized for the processing of different aspects of visual information.…”