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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 25, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Does proactive interference play a significant role in visual working memory tasks?

¹The Open University of Israel.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition

|February 26, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Visual working memory (VWM) is vulnerable to proactive interference (PI) when items share locations. Spatial information is crucial for protecting VWM from PI, challenging previous assumptions.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Human Memory

Background:

Visual working memory (VWM) is traditionally considered resistant to source memory confusions.
Prior research indicated minimal proactive interference (PI) effects in VWM tasks.
Recent findings suggest a substantial PI effect when memory items are unique versus repeated.

Purpose of the Study:

Reconcile conflicting findings on PI in VWM.
Investigate the extent of PI's involvement in VWM tasks.
Clarify the role of item uniqueness and spatial information in VWM interference.

Main Methods:

Conducted within-subject VWM experiments using unique and repeated memory items.
Manipulated item locations (same vs. distinct) and presentation (simultaneous vs. sequential).
Assessed PI effects across varying set sizes, encoding durations, and intertrial intervals.

Main Results:

The advantage of unique items in VWM was robust and independent of set size, encoding duration, or intertrial interval.
Significant PI occurred primarily when all items were presented at the same spatial location.
PI effects were substantially reduced when items were presented at distinct locations, simultaneously or sequentially.

Conclusions:

Proactive interference in VWM is highly spatially specific.
Spatial information is critical for shielding VWM from interference.
VWM is more susceptible to interference than previously assumed, particularly without spatial cues.