Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

1.3K
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...
1.3K
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

1.6K
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the...
1.6K
Storage01:23

Storage

504
A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze...
504
Concepts and Prototypes01:24

Concepts and Prototypes

676
The human nervous system handles vast amounts of information by translating sensory stimuli into neural impulses, which the brain processes, creating thoughts expressed through language or stored as memories. The brain also synthesizes information from emotions and memories, which significantly influence thoughts and behaviors. This intricate process creates a comprehensive mental picture.
The brain organizes this information using concepts, which are mental categories grouping linguistic data,...
676
System of Memory01:23

System of Memory

8.0K
Memory is categorized into three major systems: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). These systems differ in their capacity and the duration for which they can hold information. Sensory memory captures raw sensory input from the environment, holding it for just a few seconds or less. For example, on hearing a brief, loud sound, like a car horn honking, the sound seems to linger in the mind for a moment even after it stops. This is an instance of sensory memory...
8.0K
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

5.2K
The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
5.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Emotion may indirectly link rendering and social reasoning.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026
Same author

The capacity limits of moving objects in the imagination.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Physics versus graphics as an organizing dichotomy in cognition.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2025
Same author

Electrophysiology Reveals That Intuitive Physics Guides Visual Tracking and Working Memory.

Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science·2024
Same author

Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2023
Same author

Different features of real-world objects are represented in a dependent manner in long-term memory.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2019

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 19, 2026

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

11.5K

Working memory's pointer system is governed by physical objecthood, not spatiotemporal information.

Halely Balaban1

  • 1Department of Education and Psychology, The Open University of Israel, 1 University Rd, Raanana, Israel. halelyb@openu.ac.il.

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|April 17, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Visual working memory (VWM) uses a pointer system to update item representations. This system relies on objecthood, not just spatiotemporal information, to maintain accurate visual tracking.

Keywords:
Pointer systemResettingSpatiotemporal informationVisual working memory

More Related Videos

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
14:24

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

2.0K
Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

8.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 19, 2026

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

11.5K
An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
14:24

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

2.0K
Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

8.8K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Visual working memory (VWM) requires continuous updating of representations to match environmental changes.
  • This updating relies on a pointer system mapping VWM representations to external items.
  • Disruptions to this mapping cause VWM to reset, leading to temporary blindness to changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether VWM pointers are guided by spatiotemporal information or objecthood.
  • To determine the factors influencing the resetting of VWM representations when item mappings are disrupted.

Main Methods:

  • Two preregistered studies using an online change detection task.
  • Participants reported changes in item shapes during task-irrelevant movement.
  • Manipulations involved altering object trajectories to test mapping persistence.

Main Results:

  • When an object's entire trajectory changed, the VWM mapping remained stable, showing no resetting cost.
  • When only half an object changed trajectory, splitting it, the mapping failed, indicating resetting.
  • A behavioral cost was observed even for the object half maintaining its original trajectory, highlighting objecthood's role.

Conclusions:

  • VWM's pointer system prioritizes objecthood over spatiotemporal continuity for maintaining representations.
  • Resetting in VWM involves invalidating the environmental mapping, not just reassigning pointers.
  • Object persistence, not just motion, is critical for sustained VWM representation.