Visual short-term memory guides infants’ visual attention

Abstract

Adults' visual attention is guided by the contents of visual short-term memory (VSTM). Here we asked whether 10-month-old infants' (N = 41) visual attention is also guided by the information stored in VSTM. In two experiments, we modified the one-shot change detection task (Oakes, Baumgartner, Barrett, Messenger, & Luck, 2013) to create a simplified cued visual search task to ask how information stored in VSTM influences where infants look. A single sample item (e.g., a colored circle) was presented at fixation for 500 ms, followed by a brief (300 ms) retention interval and then a test array consisting of two items, one on each side of fixation. One item in the test array matched the sample stimulus and the other did not. Infants were more likely to look at the non-matching item than at the matching item, demonstrating that the information stored rapidly in VSTM guided subsequent looking behavior.

Visual working memory in early development: a developmental cognitive neuroscience perspective

“…These findings indicate that the infants' VSTM guided their subsequent visual search during the test trials. Thus it is likely that VSTM tasks do tap into VWM processes in infancy (Mitsven et al 2018; also see Kibbe 2015). These findings also indicate that VSTM can direct infant selective attention and support the idea that attention and memory are linked in a bidirectional manner by mid to late infancy.…”

“…Similarly, as perceptual sensitivity increases significantly across this same age range, the input available to the infant for memory processing expands dramatically. However, VWM also influences visual search in infancy (Mitsven et al 2018), and thus there are likely bidirectional effects between visual attention and VWM in infancy and beyond (Amso and Scerif 2015;Astle and Scerif 2011;Awh et al 2006;Reynolds and Romano 2016;Shimi et al 2014). As can be seen in Fig.…”

“…In adult tasks, this executive control is typically measured by using some sort of behavioral response; however, it is not clear that the behavioral response or explicit awareness of the task is required, per se. Recent studies utilizing "oneshot" change detection tasks indicate that infants can utilize information stored in VSTM in the service of other cognitive processes (Mitsven et al 2018;Oakes et al 2013), which according to some views would qualify VSTM as a working memory system (e.g., Baddeley 1986;Luck and Vogel 2013). For example, Mitsven et al (2018) designed a cued visual search task to test the possibility that 10-mo-old infants' VSTM representations influence their subsequent looking behavior.…”

“…Recent studies utilizing "oneshot" change detection tasks indicate that infants can utilize information stored in VSTM in the service of other cognitive processes (Mitsven et al 2018;Oakes et al 2013), which according to some views would qualify VSTM as a working memory system (e.g., Baddeley 1986;Luck and Vogel 2013). For example, Mitsven et al (2018) designed a cued visual search task to test the possibility that 10-mo-old infants' VSTM representations influence their subsequent looking behavior. Infants were shown a single 500-ms presentation of a central stimulus followed by a 300-ms delay and then a test array of two items presented to either side of the central fixation point.…”

“…However, there is currently no clear consensus in the field on exactly what, if anything, separates VSTM from VWM in infancy. Mitsven et al (2018) have claimed that VSTM qualifies as a VWM system because it has been found to influence subsequent visual search behavior (also see O'Gilmore and Johnson 1995). However, according to some, the ability to maintain task-relevant information in the face of task-irrelevant information is a key aspect of VWM that may not be met by basic visual search behavior (e.g., Vogel et al 2005).…”