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Finding memory in search: the effect of visual working memory load on visual search.
Stephen M Emrich1, Naseem Al-Aidroos, Jay Pratt
1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. steve.emrich@utoronto.ca
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|July 7, 2010
Summary
Visual search memory prevents reselecting distractors. Visual working memory (VWM) load impacts search reaction times, not search slope, suggesting VWM aids in inhibiting previously searched items.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Visual search involves memory to avoid re-examining distractors.
- Previous research suggests spatial working memory impacts search, but visual working memory (VWM) does not.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific role of VWM in inhibiting previously searched distractors during visual search.
- To determine how VWM load affects visual search performance and VWM capacity.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed a visual search task concurrently with a change-detection task to manipulate VWM load.
- Search slopes and reaction times were measured under varying VWM loads.
- Interference between the search task and VWM storage was assessed.
Main Results:
- VWM load did not affect the visual search slope.
- Overall reaction times increased proportionally with the number of items held in VWM, up to VWM capacity.
- The visual search task interfered with the storage of items in VWM.
Conclusions:
- VWM does not influence the efficiency of the search slope but impacts overall search speed.
- Findings indicate VWM plays a crucial role in the inhibition of previously searched distractors.
- The capacity of VWM limits its effectiveness in inhibiting distractors during visual search.
