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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
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A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Distractor-Induced Repulsion Effect in Visual Working Memory: A Behavioral
Jiafeng Zhang1, Jing Zhou2, Xuemin Zhang1,3,4
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Psychophysiology
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Memory repulsion in visual working memory is distance-dependent and occurs later in processing. This effect, where distractors push memories apart, is linked to absolute spatial proximity and emerges after initial perception.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Relation-based distractors in visual working memory can cause memory repulsion.
- The spatial boundaries and cognitive timing of this effect are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatial modulation of the memory repulsion effect.
- To determine the cognitive stage at which memory repulsion occurs using electroencephalography (EEG).
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted, manipulating target-distractor spatial distance and color.
- Experiment 1 used behavioral measures, while Experiment 2 combined behavioral measures with EEG recordings.
- Event-related potentials (ERPs) were analyzed to identify neural correlates.
Main Results:
- The repulsion effect weakened with increasing distance, supporting an absolute-distance account.
- Repulsion was observed only for distractors of a different color than the target.
- A late positive component (LPC) in ERPs (382-604 ms) correlated with the behavioral repulsion effect, while early N1 activity (96-202 ms) reflected distance sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Memory repulsion in visual working memory originates in post-perceptual stages.
- The effect is modulated by absolute spatial proximity and distractor-target feature differences.
- This research clarifies the spatiotemporal dynamics of filtering relational distractors in working memory.
