Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026
08:52
Novel Object Recognition Test for the Investigation of Learning and Memory in Mice
Published on: August 30, 2017
77.5K
Relational encoding of objects in working memory: Change detection performance is better for violations in group
Joel E Bateman1, William X Q Ngiam1, Damian P Birney1
1School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Plos One
|September 12, 2018
Summary
Changes violating object cluster relations in working memory are easier to detect. This suggests working memory stores object relations, not just spatial locations, improving change detection performance.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Perception
Background:
- Working memory is theorized to involve the formation of relationships between individual elements.
- Understanding how these relational bindings are encoded is crucial for explaining working memory capacity and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of relational encoding in working memory using a change detection task.
- To compare the detectability of changes that violate versus maintain object cluster structure.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed a change detection task involving object clusters.
- The study manipulated the type of change: single-object shifts (violating relational encoding) versus cluster shifts (maintaining group structure).
- Effects of movement direction and trial order were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Changes violating relational encoding (single-object shifts) were detected more easily than changes maintaining group structure (cluster shifts).
- This effect held true even when cluster changes involved more objects moving.
- Participants showed faster improvement in detecting single-object changes compared to cluster changes.
Conclusions:
- Working memory storage relies on building relational bindings between objects and their position within a group (chunk).
- Storage is not primarily based on binding objects to absolute spatial locations.
- Relational encoding significantly impacts the efficiency of working memory and change detection.
Related Concept Videos
01:12Relative Risk
2.2K
Relative risk (RR) is a statistical measure commonly used in epidemiology to compare the likelihood of a particular event occurring between two groups. This metric is important for evaluating the relationship between exposure to a specific risk factor and the probability of a particular outcome. It plays a crucial role in medical research, public health studies, and risk assessment. Relative risk quantifies how much more (or less) likely an event is to occur in an exposed group compared to an...
2.2K
01:10Relative Velocity in One Dimension
10.5K
The understanding of the concept of reference frames is essential to discuss relative motion in one or more dimensions. When we say that an object has a certain velocity, we must state the velocity with respect to a given reference frame. In most examples, this reference frame has been Earth. For instance, if a statement reads that a person is sitting in a train moving at 10 m/s east, then it implies that the person on the train is moving relative to the surface of Earth at this velocity,...
10.5K
01:14Relative Frequency Histogram
6.5K
The relative frequency depicts the proportion of data points that have each value. The frequency tells the number of data points that have each value. Like the histogram, a relative frequency histogram also has the same shape with a horizontal scale (the x-axis), but the vertical scale (the y-axis) is marked with relative frequencies (percentages of the whole) instead of actual frequencies. A relative frequency histogram is a graphical representation of a frequency distribution where the...
6.5K
01:11Relative Velocity in Two Dimensions
9.1K
Relative velocity is the velocity of an object as observed from a particular reference frame, or the velocity of one reference frame with respect to another reference frame. The concept of relative velocity can be used to describe motion in two dimensions. Consider a particle P and two reference frames S and S′. The position of the origin of S′ as measured in S is , the position of P as measured in S′ is , and the position of P as measured in S is , which can be evaluated by utilizing...
9.1K
00:55Relative Frequency Distribution
13.6K
A relative frequency distribution is the proportion or fraction of times a value occurs in a data set. To find the relative frequencies, one can divide each frequency by the total number of data points in the sample. It is very similar to a regular frequency distribution, except that instead of reporting how many data values fall in a class, a relative frequency distribution reports the fraction of data values that fall in a class. These fractions or proportions are called relative frequencies...
13.6K
01:59Relative Stabilities of Alkenes
15.8K
The relative stability of alkenes can be determined by comparing their heats of hydrogenation. The lower heat of hydrogenation indicates the more stable alkene. The three main factors determining the relative stability of alkenes are i) the number of substituents attached to the double-bond carbon atoms, ii) hyperconjugation, and iii) the stereochemistry of the double bond.
15.8K