Does high memory load kick task-irrelevant information out of visual working memory?

Abstract

The limited capacity of visual working memory (VWM) requires the existence of an efficient information selection mechanism. While it has been shown that under low VWM load, an irrelevant simple feature can be processed, its fate under high load (e.g., six objects) remains unclear. We explored this issue by probing the "irrelevant-change distracting effect," in which the change of a stored irrelevant feature affects performance. Simple colored shapes were used as stimuli, with color as the target. Using a whole-probe method (presenting six objects in both the memory and test arrays), in Experiment 1 we found that a change to one of the six shapes led to a significant distracting effect. Using a partial-probe method (presenting the probe either at the screen center or at a location selected from the memory array), in Experiment 2 we showed the distracting effect again. These results suggest that irrelevant simple features can be stored into VWM, regardless of memory load.

Object-based encoding in visual working memory: A life span study

“…This manipulation is different from most previous studies in which only one irrelevant feature changed in an IC condition (T. Z. Gao et al, 2010;Yin et al, 2011;Yin, Zhou et al, 2012). We argue that the way of irrelevant feature change depends on the aim of the task.…”

“…Moreover, automatic OBE is fairly robust. Irrelevant feature encoding has been revealed in both low (e.g., two objects) and high (e.g., six objects) memory load conditions (Xu, 2010;Yin, Zhou et al, 2012) and occurs even when irrelevant changes happen with a probability of 16% while remembering eight objects (Shen, Tang, Wu, Shui, & Z. Gao, 2013). Moreover, this phenomenon has been consistently demonstrated using simple shapes, colors, orientations, and sizes (T. Z.…”

“…It is an important processing phenomenon which has been consistently observed in recent studies assessing young adult samples (e.g., Gao, Gao, Li, Sun, & Shen, 2011;Z. Gao, Li, Yin, & Shen, 2010;Hyun, Woodman, Vogel, Hollingworth, & Luck, 2009;Xu, 2010;Yin, Zhou et al, 2012;Zhou et al, 2012). A typical characteristic of OBE is that even only one feature dimension is required for selection into VWM, the other task-irrelevant feature dimensions, which together with the target dimension belong to the same object, are also selected into VWM.…”

Crowdsourced single-trial probes of visual working memory for irrelevant features

“…When the authors introduced changes in all objects, they found an even stronger impairment, leading them to conclude that irrelevant features are encoded. Recent studies (Shen et al, 2013; Yin et al, 2012) found similar effects and interpreted them as evidence that VSTM is object-based.…”

“…This question has multiple aspects, one of which is whether all features of a task-relevant object are stored automatically, regardless of the relevance of each individual feature (Alvarez & Cavanagh, 2004; Bays, Wu, & Husain, 2011; Fougnie, Asplund, & Marois, 2010; Jiang, Olson, & Chun, 2000; Lee & Chun, 2001; Luck & Vogel, 1997; Vogel, Woodman, & Luck, 2001; Wheeler & Treisman, 2002). If VSTM is object-based, then one could surmise that encoding a task-relevant feature of an object automatically causes irrelevant features of that object to be encoded as well (Hyun, Woodman, Vogel, Hollingworth, & Luck, 2009; Luria & Vogel, 2011; Shen, Tang, Wu, Shui, & Gao, 2013; Vogel et al, 2001; Yin et al, 2012). …”