Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
Published on: August 15, 2010
Object-based representations govern both the storage of information in visual short-term memory and the retrieval of
Philip T Quinlan1, Dale J Cohen
1Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK. ptq1@york.ac.uk
Abstract:
Interest is growing in how information is retained in visual short-term memory (VSTM). We describe an experiment that assesses VSTM within the context of multidimensional signal detection theory. On every trial, participants were presented with a 250-ms display containing four colored shapes. They were then probed 900 ms later with a colored shape and made separate old/new judgments about the color and the shape. In any particular trial, one, both, or neither of the probed features had been presented. Performance differed according to whether both probed features belonged to a single object or to two different objects. When both probed features belonged to the same object, featural retrieval was better than would be predicted by independent feature storage. When both probed features belonged to two different objects, featural retrieval was worse than would be predicted by independent feature storage. We conclude that storage in and retrieval from VSTM operate on the basis of object-based representations.
Related Concept Videos
Storage
System of Memory
Working Memory
Sensory Memory
Long-Term Memory
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
