Some effects of representational friction, target size, and memory averaging on memory for vertically moving targets

Observers viewed an animated ascending or descending target that varied in size and velocity across trials and appeared either (a) in isolation, (b) to slide along one side of a single larger stationary object, or (c) to slide between two larger stationary objects. Targets vanished without warning, and displacements (i.e., differences between actual and remembered final position) along the axis of motion and orthogonal axis were measured. Forward displacement (a) decreased with increases in implied friction, (b) increased with increases in target size for descending targets, and (c) decreased with increases in target size for ascending targets. When a larger stationary object was to one side of the target, orthogonal displacement was toward that object; when no object or objects on both sides were present, orthogonal displacement was near zero. Results are consistent with previous findings and speculation on the effects of representational friction, memory averaging, and target size on memory.