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Contralateral Delay Activity Indexes Working Memory Storage, Not the Current Focus of Spatial Attention
Tobias Feldmann-Wüstefeld1, Edward K Vogel1, Edward Awh1
1University of Chicago.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|April 26, 2018
Summary
Contralateral delay activity (CDA) reflects visual working memory (WM) storage, not just spatial attention. CDA tracked total memory load when displays were spatially compatible, challenging previous findings.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Contralateral delay activity (CDA) is traditionally linked to visual working memory (WM) storage capacity.
- A recent hypothesis suggests CDA may instead reflect spatial attention within WM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether CDA tracks WM storage or spatial attention.
- To test the influence of spatial compatibility between sample and probe displays on CDA amplitude.
Main Methods:
- Manipulated spatial compatibility between successive visual displays.
- Measured CDA amplitude in response to varying memory loads across compatible and incompatible display conditions.
Main Results:
- Replicated previous findings of CDA reflecting only the second display with spatially incompatible displays.
- Demonstrated that CDA tracked the full memory load across both displays when they were spatially compatible.
Conclusions:
- CDA amplitude is sensitive to display compatibility, influencing how information is represented in WM.
- Findings support a role for CDA in tracking active WM storage, modulated by event perception and display properties.
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