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Grasping type affects configural encoding in visual working memory
Shinhae Ahn1, Richard A Abrams2
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, USA. a.shinhae@wustl.edu.
Experimental Brain Research
|December 27, 2025
Summary
Grasping actions influence how we process visual information. Precision grasping enhances the use of configural shape information in visual working memory (VWM) more than power grasping.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Grasping actions influence simple visual feature processing.
- The effect of grasping on higher-order visual information, like configural shapes, is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different grasping types impact the processing of configural shape information in visual working memory (VWM).
Main Methods:
- Participants performed a VWM change detection task while executing either power or precision grasps.
- Configural shape information availability was manipulated.
- Experiment 2 controlled for task demands and stimulus appearance.
Main Results:
- Configural shape information improved change detection performance.
- Precision grasping showed a greater benefit from configural shape information compared to power grasping.
- Findings were replicated under varied task demands.
Conclusions:
- Grasping type modulates the processing of configural shape information in VWM.
- Different grasping actions affect the encoding and maintenance of configural shape details.
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