Selective storage and maintenance of an object's features in visual working memory

Psychon Bull Rev. 2008 Feb;15(1):223-9. doi: 10.3758/pbr.15.1.223.

Abstract

It has been shown that we have a highly capacity-limited representational space with which to store objects in visual working memory. However, most objects are composed of multiple feature attributes, and it is unknown whether observers can voluntarily store a single attribute of an object without necessarily storing all of its remaining features. In this study, we used a masking paradigm to measure the efficiency of encoding, and neurophysiological recordings to directly measure visual working memory maintenance while subjects viewed multifeature objects and were required to remember only a single feature or all of the features of the objects. We found that measures of both encoding and maintenance varied systematically as a function of which object features were task relevant. These experiments show that individuals can control which features of an object are selectively stored in working memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiology
  • Color Perception / physiology
  • Cues
  • Discrimination Learning / physiology*
  • Dominance, Cerebral / physiology
  • Evoked Potentials / physiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory, Short-Term / physiology*
  • Mental Recall / physiology
  • Orientation / physiology
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology*
  • Perceptual Masking / physiology
  • Psychophysics
  • Retention, Psychology / physiology