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The storage mechanism of dynamic relations in visual working memory
Mowei Shen1, Jing Chen1, Xiaoyuan Yang1
1Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Xixi Campus, Zhejiang University, Hang Zhou 310028, People's Republic of China.
Cognition
|January 18, 2021
Summary
Visual working memory capacity for dynamic object relations is limited. Memory accuracy decreases with complexity when relations share objects, suggesting integrated object-relation representation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Working memory is crucial for environmental interaction.
- Prior research overemphasized object storage over object relations.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the storage mechanisms (capacity and representation) of dynamic object relations in visual working memory.
- Determine how object relations are encoded and limited within working memory.
Main Methods:
- Developed a modified change detection paradigm with dynamically moving objects.
- Conducted four experiments with 84 university students observing and recalling object relations.
- Assessed memory accuracy based on identical or changed relational configurations.
Main Results:
- Visual working memory has a limited capacity for dynamic relations.
- Independent relations had a capacity limit of two.
- Memory accuracy declined with increasing relational complexity when objects were shared, not with object or relation count.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic relations are not stored as independent object features.
- Object relations are likely represented as integrated perceptual units with objects in visual working memory.
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