Task difficulty rather than reward method modulates the reward boosts in visual working memory.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Monetary and notional rewards motivate prioritization in visual working memory (VWM).
• The specific roles of reward method and task difficulty in modulating these VWM reward boosts remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how reward method (monetary vs. notional) affects reward boosts in VWM.
• To determine if task difficulty, manipulated by the number of high-reward items, modulates reward boosts in VWM.

Main Methods:

• Experiment 1: Manipulated item type (high, low, equal reward) and reward method (monetary, notional).
• Experiment 2: Manipulated the number of high-reward items (1, 2, 3), reward method, and item type.

Main Results:

• High-reward items received greater prioritization than low- or equal-reward items.
• Monetary rewards led to higher VWM performance than notional rewards, with no interaction between reward method and item type.
• A significant interaction between reward number and item type showed reward boosts occurred with one or two high-reward items.

Conclusions:

• Reward boosts in VWM are significantly modulated by task difficulty.
• The method of reward (monetary vs. notional) does not appear to be a key factor in modulating reward boosts in VWM.