I can look for it! Modulation of a concurrent Visual Working Memory task in Visual Search in development.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Daily classroom activities frequently involve visual search (VS) tasks, from early education to higher learning.
• These VS tasks often occur alongside working memory (WM) demands, yet the developmental interaction between visual working memory (VWM) load and VS performance remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how concurrent VWM load modulates VS performance across different developmental stages.
• To examine the influence of the Developmental Model of Endogenous Mental Attention on this interaction.
• To explore correlations between VS efficiency, IQ, VWM span, executive functions, and strategy use.

Main Methods:

• A dual-task paradigm was employed with participants aged 5 to 25 (n=147), including kindergarteners, elementary, middle school, and college students.
• Participants performed VS tasks while maintaining objects in VWM under high and low VWM load conditions.
• Individual differences were assessed through IQ, VWM span, executive functions, and self-reported strategies.

Main Results:

• Young children effectively performed VS tasks with concurrent VWM load, similar to adults.
• A slight increase in false alarms and commission errors was observed under high VWM load across all age groups.
• VS efficiency positively correlated with IQ and VWM span; strategy use increased with age, with more complex strategies emerging under low VWM load.

Conclusions:

• Concurrent VWM load impacts VS performance across development, with higher loads leading to minor error increases.
• VS efficiency is linked to cognitive abilities like IQ and VWM span.
• Findings support the Developmental Model of Endogenous Mental Attention and inform educational strategies for attention and learning difficulties.