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Object representations in visual memory: evidence from visual illusions
1Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Journal of Vision
|July 28, 2012
Summary
Visual working memory (VWM) and iconic memory hold distinct object representations. VWM is susceptible to visual illusions, while iconic memory shows selective immunity, revealing differences in visual processing.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Human visual memory comprises distinct levels, including visual working memory (VWM) and iconic memory.
- VWM representations are detailed, while iconic memory representations are primarily perceptual.
- Visual illusions offer a tool to probe the nature of these memory representations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential effects of visual illusions on representations in VWM and iconic memory.
- To determine if iconic and VWM representations of object shape are dissociable.
- To understand the processing order of global versus specific visual information.
Main Methods:
- Four experiments were conducted using two categories of visual illusions.
- The impact of these illusions on representations within VWM and iconic memory was assessed.
- Behavioral responses to illusory stimuli were analyzed to infer representational content.
Main Results:
- Visual working memory (VWM) representations were affected by both tested categories of visual illusions.
- Iconic memory was immune to within-object contextual illusions.
- Iconic memory was only affected by illusions driven by between-objects contextual properties.
Conclusions:
- Iconic and visual working memory (VWM) contain dissociable representations of object shape.
- These findings suggest a hierarchical processing of visual information, with global scene properties processed before specific elements.
- The distinct sensitivities to visual illusions highlight fundamental differences between iconic and VWM storage.
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