Perceptual organization influences visual working memory.

Full Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that top-down factors can bias the storage of information in visual working memory. However, relatively little is known about the role that bottom-up stimulus characteristics play in visual working memory storage. In the present study, subjects performed a change detection task in which the to-be-remembered objects were organized in accordance with Gestalt grouping principles. When an attention-capturing cue was presented at the location of one object, other objects that were perceptually grouped with the cued object were more likely to be stored in working memory than were objects that were not grouped with the cued object. Thus, objects that are grouped together tend to be stored together, indicating that bottom-up perceptual organization influences the storage of information in visual working memory.

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Author information

Author/s: Woodman, Geoffrey F (GF); Vecera, Shaun P (SP); Luck, Steven J (SJ);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1407, USA. geoff-woodman(-atsign-)uiowa.edu

Grants: 1 F31 MH12995-01 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; MH56877 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; MH60636 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Psychonomic bulletin & review (Psychon Bull Rev), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Mar; vol 10 (issue 1) : pp 80-7

Dates: Created 2003/05/15; Completed 2003/08/05; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12747493, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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