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Updated: May 22, 2026
10:38
A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Interference within the focus of attention: working memory tasks reflect more than temporary maintenance
Zach Shipstead1, Randall W Engle
1School of Psychology, J. S. Cook Building, Georgia Institute of Technology, 654 Cherry Street, Atlanta, GA 30332-0170, USA. zshipstead3@gatech.edu
Summary
Working memory capacity is not limited by storage but by retrieval from long-term memory. The visual arrays task measures retrieval accuracy, not the number of items stored.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Working memory (WM) capacity is often conceptualized as the amount of information storable over short durations.
- The visual arrays task is frequently used to assess WM, with findings often interpreted as a capacity limit of around 4 items.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the storage-capacity interpretation of the visual arrays task.
- To investigate the role of time-related factors and long-term memory retrieval in visual array task performance.
Main Methods:
- Manipulating temporal discriminability by varying trial spacing.
- Assessing performance across different set sizes and relating it to other WM measures and fluid intelligence.
Main Results:
- Memory performance on the visual arrays task is not affected by absolute time decay.
- Temporal compression or isolation of trials significantly impacts memory recall.
- Performance variations correlate with other WM measures and fluid intelligence.
Conclusions:
- The visual arrays task does not measure a multi-item storage system.
- Task performance reflects an individual's ability to retrieve information amidst proactive interference, rather than storage limitations.
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