Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Working Memory

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

Visual System

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Effort expectation and strategic cue use in visual search.

Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience·2025

Same author

Picking the right piece: Action intentions shape visual search and action planning in human multi-target-foraging.

iScience·2025

Same author

Attention directs actions in visual foraging.

Scientific reports·2025

Same author

Cueing distractors is effective when the incentive to suppress is high.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2025

Same author

Predictable object motion is extrapolated to support visual working memory for surface features.

Cognition·2025

Same author

Trade-off between search costs and accuracy in oculomotor and manual search tasks.

Journal of neurophysiology·2025

Same journal

Limited protective effects of multilingualism against age-related cognitive decline.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

Validation of illustrated texts: Can pictures raise awareness of inconsistencies?

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

4I remember (and forget) your happy smiling face: Directed forgetting of emotionally expressive faces of in-group and out-group members.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

Identity in the spotlight: Matching faces without overlapping features.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

Test delay and change awareness moderate retroactive and proactive memory effects.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

The Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) illusion in short-term memory: Opposite effects of retention interval on true and false recognition.

Memory & cognition·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Feature-based and spatial attentional selection in visual working memory.

Anna Heuer¹, Anna Schubö²

¹Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. anna.heuer@uni-marburg.de.

Memory & Cognition

|January 13, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Feature-based cues enhance visual working memory (VWM) for items in any location, unlike spatial cues which only work for adjacent items. This suggests different attentional mechanisms for VWM selection.

Keywords:

Attention Short-term memory Working memory

More Related Videos

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation

Published on: March 25, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation

Published on: March 25, 2011

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Human Perception

Background:

Visual working memory (VWM) stores visual information for brief periods.
Spatial retrocues can enhance memory performance by directing attention to specific locations within VWM.
It remains unclear if VWM representations can be selected based on features rather than just location.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if feature-based retrocues can select representations in VWM.
To compare the mechanisms of feature-based and spatial attention in VWM.
To determine if attentional selection in VWM allows parallel access to noncontiguous locations.

Main Methods:

Two experiments using valid retrocues (spatial, symbolic spatial, color, shape) to probe VWM.
Items were presented at either contiguous or noncontiguous locations.
Performance was compared to a neutral cue condition.

Main Results:

All retrocue types showed overall benefits compared to neutral cues.
Feature-based retrocues benefited memory for items at both contiguous and noncontiguous locations.
Spatial retrocues only benefited memory for items at contiguous locations.

Conclusions:

Attentional selection and updating in VWM can utilize different types of information (spatial vs. feature-based).
Feature-based attention in VWM allows access to noncontiguous representations, unlike spatial attention.
These findings suggest distinct neural mechanisms for feature-based and spatial attention within VWM.