Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

409
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...
409
Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

186
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
186
Storage01:23

Storage

117
A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze...
117
Visual Agnosia01:12

Visual Agnosia

265
Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round...
265

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Atypical gastrointestinal presentation of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis: a case report highlighting the diagnostic challenge.

European heart journal. Case reports·2025
Same author

Impaired visuospatial working memory but preserved attentional control in bipolar disorder.

Psychological medicine·2025
Same author

Interindividual differences in auditory processing moderate the effect of auditory-motor coupling on paired-associate learning.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Diagnostic performance of a coronary CT angiography-based deep learning model for the prediction of vessel-specific ischemia.

European radiology·2025
Same author

A direct neural signature of serial dependence in working memory.

eLife·2025
Same author

Large-scale combination screens reveal small-molecule sensitization of antibiotic-resistant gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same journal

Low prevalence targets are primarily missed due to mind wandering.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

An introduction to the special issue celebrating Mary A. Peterson.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Properties of the threshold stimulus exposure duration (TSED) measure of visual search efficiency.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Auditory selective attention in depth: Investigating directional dependency across front, lateral, and rear spaces.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Dissociations between stereoacuity and visual acuity with binocular night vision goggles.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Reward-based prioritization and perceptual feature effects on attentional flexibility in working memory.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2025

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

13.7K

Interference between items stored for distinct tasks in visual working memory.

Stefan Czoschke1, Benjamin Peters2, Jochen Kaiser3

  • 1Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe University, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Strasse 10, D-60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. stefan.czoschke@gmail.com.

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|January 31, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Working memory stores distinct task items together, not separately. Visual items for different tasks interfere, showing a common storage space within working memory.

Keywords:
Perception and actionVisual working memory

More Related Videos

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition
16:08

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Published on: February 1, 2012

16.2K
Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
05:58

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

8.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 12, 2025

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

13.7K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition
16:08

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Published on: February 1, 2012

16.2K
Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
05:58

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

8.9K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human Perception

Background:

  • The action perspective posits working memory (WM) representations are task-specific.
  • Alternative theories suggest a task-agnostic common workspace for WM storage.
  • Investigating concurrent maintenance of distinct visual items is crucial for understanding WM architecture.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if visual items memorized for different tasks are stored separately or interfere.
  • To test for evidence of a common workspace in working memory.
  • To differentiate WM storage from earlier perceptual and iconic memory stages.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments combined a framing memory task with an embedded memory task.
  • Participants memorized motion directions for different report types (continuous vs. binary discrimination).
  • Interference effects (repulsion, precision degradation) were measured during concurrent maintenance.

Main Results:

  • Significant inter-item interference (repulsion and precision degradation) observed between concurrently held visual items.
  • Interference increased with item similarity.
  • Control conditions showed weaker repulsion and no precision interference prior to WM consolidation.

Conclusions:

  • Working memory exhibits inter-item interference, even for items with distinct task demands.
  • Results support the existence of a common workspace for storing distinct task items in working memory.
  • Interference effects are unique to working memory consolidation, not earlier sensory stages.