Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Storage01:23

Storage

A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze each...
Retrieval01:12

Retrieval

Retrieval is the process of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness. This ability is essential for daily tasks like brushing hair and teeth, driving to work, and performing job duties. Retrieval occurs in three ways: recall, recognition, and relearning.
Recall involves accessing information without cues, such as during an essay test, where individuals must retrieve facts and concepts from memory unaided. Another example is remembering the name of a colleague...
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of information more...
Elaborative Rehearsals01:07

Elaborative Rehearsals

Elaborative rehearsal is a crucial cognitive strategy that strengthens information encoding in long-term memory by making meaningful connections between new data and pre-existing knowledge. This approach contrasts with maintenance rehearsal, which involves simple repetition without delving into the significance of the information. While maintenance rehearsal might temporarily keep information active in short-term memory, it is less effective for long-term retention.
The effectiveness of...
System of Memory01:23

System of Memory

Memory is categorized into three major systems: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). These systems differ in their capacity and the duration for which they can hold information. Sensory memory captures raw sensory input from the environment, holding it for just a few seconds or less. For example, on hearing a brief, loud sound, like a car horn honking, the sound seems to linger in the mind for a moment even after it stops. This is an instance of sensory memory...
Understanding Memory01:19

Understanding Memory

Memory is the retention of information or experiences over time, facilitated through three main processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding is the process of inputting information into the memory system. For instance, when listening to a lecture, watching a play, reading a book, or having a conversation, the brain is actively encoding information. This initial stage involves transforming sensory input into a form that can be processed and stored by the brain. Various factors, such as...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Making time for a dynamic attentional priority map.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026
Same authorSame journal

Biasmapping: Idiosyncratic covert search in the vicinity of fixation.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2026
Same author

Spatial proximity and scene grammar: shaping spatial representations for memory-guided actions in naturalistic environments.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

The Shape of Saccade-based Functional Visual Fields (FVFs): A cautionary note.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same author

A common signal-strength factor limits awareness and precise knowledge of multiple moving objects across the adult lifespan.

Cognition·2026
Same author

Flexible usage of object and global scene information during human scene categorization.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2025
Same journal

Human thermal sensitivity drifts at extreme temperatures.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2026
Same journal

Dynamic competition between selective attention and spatial prediction during visual search.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2026
Same journal

Encapsulation of the visual perception of social events from semantic priming.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2026
Same journal

What are you still waiting for? Fricative recognition shows encapsulated processing and is partially predicted by secondary cue reliance.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2026
Same journal

Eye movements reveal that drivers can predict the location of hazards in dynamic road scenes but gaze and awareness are dissociable.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
08:06

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory

Published on: August 15, 2010

When does repeated search in scenes involve memory? Looking at versus looking for objects in scenes.

Melissa L-H Võ1, Jeremy M Wolfe

  • 1Visual Attention Lab, Harvard Medical School, 64 Sidney Street, Suite 170, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. mlvo@search.bwh.harvard.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|June 22, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Scene familiarity and object previews do not improve visual search. However, memory for previously searched items significantly speeds up future searches for the same object, especially when the initial search was active.

More Related Videos

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 31, 2026

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
08:06

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory

Published on: August 15, 2010

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Visual Perception
  • Human Memory

Background:

  • Familiarity with a scene or repeated object exposure is often assumed to enhance visual search performance.
  • Previous research suggests that contextual information can guide attention and improve search efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether scene familiarity or prior object viewing benefits subsequent visual search for multiple items within the same scene.
  • To determine if memory for previously searched targets can guide future search, and under what conditions (active vs. cued engagement).

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed visual search tasks in various scenes.
  • Exposure conditions included free viewing, memorization, and cued or active search for target objects.
  • Search performance was measured across repeated trials and after intervening searches.

Main Results:

  • Search performance did not improve with increasing scene familiarity or after previewing objects.
  • Memory for previously searched targets significantly sped up subsequent searches for the same item.
  • Active engagement during initial search led to greater memory benefits than cued engagement.

Conclusions:

  • Generic scene knowledge, not familiarity, appears to dominate initial object search guidance in real-world scenarios.
  • Memory-guided search is highly effective for repeated targets, highlighting the power of specific memory traces over general scene familiarity.