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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
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A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
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Working Memory Guides Perceptual Decisions Through Fast Capture and Slow Drift
Hyung-Bum Park1, Weiwei Zhang2
1Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 24, 2025
Summary
Working memory influences perception through two distinct mechanisms: a rapid attentional capture and a slower, sustained bias. Continuous mouse tracking revealed these temporally separate effects, clarifying how memory shapes decisions.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Perception and Working Memory
Background:
- Working memory (WM) influences perception via attentional capture and "tinted lens" effects.
- The temporal dynamics and distinct mechanisms underlying these WM influences on perception are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether WM influences on perception involve single or multiple temporally distinct mechanisms.
- To characterize the dynamic interplay between working memory and perception within single trials.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments embedded a perceptual estimation task within a WM task delay.
- Continuous mouse trajectories were tracked during perceptual matching and WM recall.
- Hierarchical Bayesian mixture modeling and time-resolved analyses were applied to mouse trajectory data.
Main Results:
- A bidirectional attraction between memory and perception was observed.
- Two distinct temporal components of WM influence were identified: an early, rapid deviation and a slower, sustained drift.
- WM prospectively influenced perception via both components, while perception retrospectively influenced WM mainly through the sustained component.
Conclusions:
- Working memory shapes perceptual decisions through at least two temporally distinct processes.
- Continuous trajectory analysis provides insights into the dynamic, trial-by-trial structure of top-down cognitive control.
Keywords:
attentional capturecognitive penetrabilitymouse trackingperceptual appearanceworking memoryMore Related Videos
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