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Memory recall errors reflect interacting sensory and mnemonic representations
Holly Kular1, John T Serences1,2
1Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093--0109 USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 24, 2025
Summary
Visual working memory (WM) can use abstract codes but is still vulnerable to sensory interference. New visual information can bias memory recall, especially when features overlap.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Visual working memory (WM) maintains information without ongoing sensory input.
- Debate exists whether WM uses abstract codes or sensory representations.
- Sensory representations may enhance precision but risk interference from new stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if visual working memory errors arise from interactions between sensory and mnemonic information.
- To test whether abstract or sensory representations primarily support visual working memory.
Main Methods:
- An orientation recall task was employed.
- Noise was added to memoranda (remembered stimuli).
- Feature-neutral and feature-matching distractors were presented.
Main Results:
- Recall errors increased with stimulus noise and feature-neutral distractors.
- Distractors sharing features with memoranda caused attractive biases, pulling recall towards the distractor.
- This bias was influenced by stimulus noise and distractor relevance.
Conclusions:
- Visual working memory appears to rely partially on sensory-like codes.
- It can utilize abstract representations but remains susceptible to feature-specific sensory interference.
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