Task-dependent reinstatement of irrelevant features from long-term memory into visual working memory templates

Objects actively stored in visual working memory (VWM) produce VWM-based attentional capture. Interestingly, for an object's features to be stored in VWM, they do not need to be shown but can also be reinstated from long-term memory (LTM). Unlike shown features, reinstated features in VWM sometimes capture attention even when task-irrelevant, suggesting observers may be able to choose when reinstatement occurs. To investigate the control of LTM reinstatement, we examined how capture by reinstated features is influenced by differences in task demands. Participants memorized objects with specific colors and then completed a dual task in which they were instructed to rapidly identify the location of one of the objects' shapes (speeded object search; Experiments 1a and 2a) or complete a self-paced forced-choice comparison test (unspeeded object recognition; Experiments 1b and 2b), regardless of color. On each trial, one memorized object was brought into VWM, and participants completed a diamond search task and/or an object recognition, or an object search task. The results revealed that under speeded task demands, task-irrelevant features from LTM were reinstated into the VWM template, leading to increased distraction in both the diamond and the object search tasks. However, under unspeeded task demands, the memorized color did not influence search in the diamond search task, but still biased performance in the recognition task (Exp. 2b). These findings suggest that the integration of LTM features into VWM templates is modulated by task demands, indicating some level of control over LTM reinstatement.