Object Features Hierarchically Guide Eye-Movement and Short-Term Memory for Naturalistic Scenes with Preserved...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human Factors

Background:

• Visual working memory (VWM) function is debated regarding scene gist vs. object features.
• Cognitive aging involves VWM decline alongside preserved global information processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether VWM is guided by scene gist or object features, particularly in aging.
• To disentangle object-feature memory from sensitivity to global scene disruptions.

Main Methods:

• Younger and older adults detected object changes (identity, location, or both) in semantically manipulated scenes.
• Object-location binding memory was tested using layout-preserving swaps versus disruptions.
• Eye-tracking monitored visual attention during memory retrieval.

Main Results:

• Conjunctive changes were detected more accurately than single-feature changes across age groups.
• Location change detection was harder in stable layouts (swaps) than disrupted ones.
• Younger adults, but not older adults, showed an advantage for detecting semantically inconsistent objects.

Conclusions:

• Stable VWM relies on hierarchical object features, with semantic meaning playing a key role.
• Age-related decline in VWM involves reduced strategic use of semantic context.
• Eye-tracking revealed increased effort for inconsistent objects during retrieval.