Relating color working memory and color perception

Sarah R Allred; Jonathan I Flombaum

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2014.06.002

Relating color working memory and color perception

Trends Cogn Sci. 2014 Nov;18(11):562-5. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2014.06.002. Epub 2014 Jul 16.

Authors

Sarah R Allred¹, Jonathan I Flombaum²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, NJ, USA. Electronic address: srallred@camden.rutgers.edu.
² Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: flombaum@jhu.edu.

PMID: 25038028
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2014.06.002

Abstract

Color is the most frequently studied feature in visual working memory (VWM). Oddly, much of this work de-emphasizes perception, instead making simplifying assumptions about the inputs served to memory. We question these assumptions in light of perception research, and we identify important points of contact between perception and working memory in the case of color. Better characterization of its perceptual inputs will be crucial for elucidating the structure and function of VWM.

Keywords: color; constancy; delayed estimation; visual working memory.

MeSH terms

Color
Color Perception* / physiology
Humans
Memory, Short-Term* / physiology
Photic Stimulation