Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Working Memory

Working Memory

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...

Visual Agnosia

Visual Agnosia

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...

High-Level and Low-Level Awareness

High-Level and Low-Level Awareness

Controlled processes in human consciousness represent high-alert mental states where individuals deliberately focus their attention on achieving specific goals. Controlled processes can be seen in situations like mastering new technology, where a person might become so absorbed that they ignore surrounding distractions. Such processes involve selective attention, requiring one to concentrate on particular elements of experience while disregarding others. These are governed by executive...

Visual System

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

The concept of subconscious awareness refers to the processing of information below the level of conscious thought, which significantly influences both behaviors and decisions. It is also known as waking subconscious awareness. This complex level of cognition operates without the direct awareness of the individual, facilitating rapid and simultaneous handling of multiple information streams.
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category,...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

[Prevalence of germinal center B-cell-like and non-germinal center B-cell-like types of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in Shanghai, China].

Zhonghua bing li xue za zhi = Chinese journal of pathology·2010

Same author

Enhancement of exo-polysaccharide production and antioxidant activity in submerged cultures of Inonotus obliquus by lignocellulose decomposition.

Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology·2010

Same author

Two new dihydrobenzofuran lignans from Rabdosia lophanthoides (Buch.-Ham.ex D.Don) Hara.

Journal of Asian natural products research·2010

Same author

Biogenic silica in intertidal marsh plants and associated sediments of the Yangtze Estuary.

Journal of environmental sciences (China)·2010

Same author

Analysis of oral microbiota in children with dental caries by PCR-DGGE and barcoded pyrosequencing.

Microbial ecology·2010

Same author

Determination of bicyclol in dog plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences·2010

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 14, 2025

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

Limited capacity for the visual working memory-driven access to visual awareness.

Xiaoyi Liu¹, Yingtao Fu¹, Mowei Shen¹

¹Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance

|July 21, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Multiple items in visual working memory (VWM) do not prioritize matched stimuli into awareness. Only one actively stored item in VWM can facilitate matched stimuli, showing limited VWM capacity for awareness.

More Related Videos

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

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

Published on: July 16, 2015

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

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

Published on: August 29, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 14, 2025

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

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

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

Published on: July 16, 2015

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

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

Published on: August 29, 2018

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Visual Perception

Background:

Previous research indicates sensory information matching visual working memory (VWM) content gains prioritized access to awareness.
However, these studies often used single stimuli, leaving the effect of multiple VWM items on this prioritization unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether prioritizing matched stimuli into awareness persists when multiple items are held in VWM.
To explore the capacity limits of VWM in modulating access to visual awareness.

Main Methods:

Utilized a breaking continuous flash suppression (b-CFS) paradigm to measure detection times for suppressed visual stimuli.
Manipulated the number of items (one vs. two) maintained in VWM and the degree of stimulus match (partial vs. full).
Investigated effects of item integration, memory precision, and retro-cueing on awareness access.

Main Results:

Multiple items in VWM did not prioritize partially or fully matched stimuli into awareness.
No prioritization effect was found when memorized items were integrated or remembered with higher precision.
A retro-cue assigning priority to one VWM item facilitated its matched stimulus into awareness faster than uncued or new items.

Conclusions:

VWM's modulation of access to visual awareness is capacity-limited.
When multiple items are stored, only a single item in an active state can facilitate matched stimuli into awareness.
This suggests a bottleneck in VWM processing that restricts its influence on conscious perception.