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Updated: Jan 30, 2026
09:13
A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test
Published on: May 16, 2017
12.1K
Evidence for the world as an external memory: A trade-off between internal and external visual memory storage
Rosyl S Somai1, Martijn J Schut1, Stefan Van der Stigchel1
1Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Summary
When eye movements are costly, people rely more on visual working memory (VWM). This study shows the brain adaptively balances external information gathering with internal memory, prioritizing efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Human Vision
Background:
- Visual working memory (VWM) is crucial for maintaining object features.
- VWM capacity is limited, but eye movements typically supplement it.
- The interplay between VWM and eye movements is key for daily visual tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the trade-off between utilizing eye movements and VWM.
- To determine how introducing a cost to saccades affects this trade-off.
- To explore the adaptive mechanisms governing visual information processing.
Main Methods:
- A copying task was designed with varying saccade costs (stimulus availability delays).
- Participants' eye movements (saccades) and dwell times were monitored.
- Behavioral responses were analyzed to infer VWM utilization.
Main Results:
- Increased saccade cost led to fewer saccades towards the model.
- Participants showed increased dwell time on the model with higher saccade costs.
- This suggests a shift from external eye-based sampling to internal VWM reliance.
Conclusions:
- The brain adaptively adjusts the balance between eye movements and VWM based on efficiency.
- Saccade cost influences the utilization of internal VWM versus external visual input.
- This trade-off reflects a cost-efficiency mechanism in visual information processing.
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