The effects of a task-irrelevant visual event on spatial working memory

Stigchel, Stefan Van der; Merten, Hanneke; Meeter, Martijn; Theeuwes, Jan

doi:10.3758/bf03193092

Cited by 50 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Behavioural evidence for the involvement of spatial attention in SWM is obtained by experiments in which new spatial information interferes with information stored in SWM (Awh, Jonides, & Reuter-Lorenz, 1998;Herwig, Beisert, & Schneider, 2010;Lepsien, Griffin, Devlin, & Nobre, 2005;Van der Stigchel, Merten, Meeter, & Theeuwes, 2007). For example, Van der Stigchel et al (2007) made subjects remember the location of a target.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Focus of spatial attention during spatial working memory maintenance: Evidence from pupillary light response

et al. 2017

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In this experiment, we demonstrate modulation of the pupillary light response by spatial working memory (SWM). The pupillary light response has previously been shown to reflect the focus of covert attention, as demonstrated by smaller pupil sizes when a subject covertly attends a location on a bright background compared to a dark background. We took advantage of this modulation of the pupillary light response to measure the focus of attention during a SWM delay. Subjects performed two tasks in which a stimulus was presented in the periphery on either the bright or the dark half of a black and white display. Importantly, subjects had to remember the exact location of the stimulus in only one of the two tasks. We observed a modulation of pupil size by background luminance in the delay period, but only when subjects had to remember the exact location. We interpret this as evidence for a tight coupling between spatial attention and maintaining information in SWM. Interestingly, we observed particularly strong modulation of background luminance at the beginning and end of the delay, but not in between. This is suggestive of strategic guidance of spatial attention by the content of spatial working memory when it is task relevant. ARTICLE HISTORY

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confidence: 99%

“…For example, Van der Stigchel et al (2007) made subjects remember the location of a target. After a small delay, subjects clicked on the remembered location using a computer mouse.…”

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Focus of spatial attention during spatial working memory maintenance: Evidence from pupillary light response

et al. 2017

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“…This would be the case if, for example, shifting spatial attention served as an additional source of location-specific excitatory input to SWM, modulating the patterns of sustained activation during a trial in a manner similar to the memory trace effects discussed above. To implement this idea, we extended the three-layer model of SWM to capture performance in a shifting attention condition, in which a color discrimination task requiring a shift of spatial attention was performed during the delay, and a shifting control condition, in which the discrimination stimulus appeared, but no response had to be made (as in Van der Stigchel, et al, 2007). In keeping with previous results in this area, results of model simulations suggest that spatial selective attention can indeed distort working memory for locations.…”

Section: Testing the Dft: Do Shifts In Attention Cause Swm To Spatialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Support for the idea that spatial attention biases SWM comes from several studies using variants of the spatial recall task, in which participants are asked to estimate the location of a perceived stimulus following a short delay interval. For instance, Van der Stigchel, Merten, Meeter, and Theeuwes (2007) found that participants’ memory for the location of a briefly presented target was shifted in the direction of a task-irrelevant sudden onset distractor presented during the delay period. The distractor likely induced a transient shift in attention (similar to the shifting control condition of Awh, et al, 1998).…”

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“…To do this, we conducted a behavioral experiment using their dual-task design with two modifications: (1) we probed memory for a relatively small set of target locations (rather than randomly selecting targets from a large set) and shifted attention either toward or away from each location relative to a midline reference axis; and (2) we used a spatial recall task after the memory delay (rather than probing memory with a spatial discrimination task). The experiment also included a shifting control condition, which was similar to the experiment conducted by Van der Stigchel et al (2007). This design made it possible to differentiate between the effects on SWM of a reflexive shift of attention towards the location of an abrupt onset stimulus and the voluntary allocation of spatial attention to a task-relevant target.…”

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Testing a dynamic-field account of interactions between spatial attention and spatial working memory

Johnson

Spencer

2016

Atten Percept Psychophys

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Studies examining the relationship between spatial attention and spatial working memory (SWM) have shown that discrimination responses are faster for targets appearing at locations that are being maintained in SWM, and that location memory is impaired when attention is withdrawn during the delay. These observations support the proposal that sustained attention is required for successful retention in SWM: if attention is withdrawn, memory representations are likely to fail, increasing errors. In the present study, this proposal is reexamined in light of a neural process model of SWM. On the basis of the model's functioning, we propose an alternative explanation for the observed decline in SWM performance when a secondary task is performed during retention: SWM representations drift systematically toward the location of targets appearing during the delay. To test this explanation, participants completed a color-discrimination task during the delay interval of a spatial recall task. In the critical shifting attention condition, the color stimulus could appear either toward or away from the memorized location relative to a midline reference axis. We hypothesized that if shifting attention during the delay leads to the failure of SWM representations, there should be an increase in the variance of recall errors but no change in directional error, regardless of the direction of the shift. Conversely, if shifting attention induces drift of SWM representations—as predicted by the model—there should be systematic changes in the pattern of spatial recall errors depending on the direction of the shift. Results were consistent with the latter possibility—recall errors were biased toward the location of discrimination targets appearing during the delay.

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Test of a dynamic neural field model: spatial working memory is biased away from distractors

Schutte

DeGirolamo

2019

Psychological Research

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The effects of a task-irrelevant visual event on spatial working memory

Cited by 50 publications

References 24 publications

Focus of spatial attention during spatial working memory maintenance: Evidence from pupillary light response

Focus of spatial attention during spatial working memory maintenance: Evidence from pupillary light response

Testing a dynamic-field account of interactions between spatial attention and spatial working memory

Test of a dynamic neural field model: spatial working memory is biased away from distractors

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