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About 6,445 papers for “Visual short-term memory”

Short-term visual memory

William A. Phillips · Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 1983

Abstract Serial position effects in visual memory are presented as evidence for a short-term memory for visuo-spatial information that is not plausibly explained in terms of either verbal or sensory representations. This is called visualization, and is distinguished from long-term visual memory. Cases of head injury are reported in which long-term memory is affected but not visualization. In contrast with this, mental arithmetic interferes with visualization but not with long-term memory. Further studies are reported that throw doubt on the earlier explanation of this interference in terms of competition for a central executive or strategic coordinator. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to a proposal for classifying the main kinds of information represented in higher visuo-spatial cognition.

Cited by 121

Auditory Short-Term Memory Behaves Like Visual Short-Term Memory

Kristina Visscher, Elina Kaplan, Michael J. Kahana et al. · PLoS Biology · 2007

Are the information processing steps that support short-term sensory memory common to all the senses? Systematic, psychophysical comparison requires identical experimental paradigms and comparable stimuli, which can be challenging to obtain across modalities. Participants performed a recognition memory task with auditory and visual stimuli that were comparable in complexity and in their neural representations at early stages of cortical processing. The visual stimuli were static and moving Gaussian-windowed, oriented, sinusoidal gratings (Gabor patches); the auditory stimuli were broadband sounds whose frequency content varied sinusoidally over time (moving ripples). Parallel effects on recognition memory were seen for number of items to be remembered, retention interval, and serial position. Further, regardless of modality, predicting an item's recognizability requires taking account of (1) the probe's similarity to the remembered list items (summed similarity), and (2) the similarity between the items in memory (inter-item homogeneity). A model incorporating both these factors gives a good fit to recognition memory data for auditory as well as visual stimuli. In addition, we present the first demonstration of the orthogonality of summed similarity and inter-item homogeneity effects. These data imply that auditory and visual representations undergo very similar transformations while they are encoded and retrieved from memory.

Cited by 110Open access

Grouping in visual short-term memory

Ronald A. Rensink · Journal of Vision · 2010

The capacity of visual short-term memory (vSTM) was measured via a “flicker” technique, where an original and a modified image continually alternated, with a uniform gray field briefly appearing (120 ms) at each alternation. The images were arrays of outlined rectangles, half with one value of a feature (e.g., horizontal), and the rest a different value (e.g., vertical). In half the trials, one of the items changed its value; in the others, all items remained the same. Observers searched for changes in displays of 2, 10, or 18 items, with search slopes computed from the average reaction times for each set size. As the display time in each alternation cycle increases, search slope becomes proportional to display time, with the proportionality constant an estimate of vSTM capacity (Rensink, Visual Cognition 7, 345–376). Two display times were examined here (80 ms and 800 ms), with 12 observers used for each pair. For orientation changes, slopes in the short- and long-display conditions differed considerably, indicating that performance was memory-limited. Estimates based on the proportionality constant showed vSTM to have a capacity of 6 items, a value similar to that obtained using other techniques. However, for changes in size and changes in contrast polarity, no reliable difference was found between slopes for the short- and long-display conditions, indicating that performance was not memory-limited. Estimates based on the proportionality constant for these types of change showed vSTM to have a capacity of at least 14 items. These results suggest that individual items may not be the only type of structure stored in vSTM. Rather, it appears that some (although not all) simple features allow items to be grouped into a more global structure, or constellation, and that such constellations may also be basic units of visual memory.

Cited by 4Open access

SHORT‐TERM MEMORY FOR VISUAL INFORMATION

H. C. A. Dale · British Journal of Psychology · 1973

The accuracy of memory for the position of a spot in a plain visual field was measured. The variables manipulated were: (i) duration of presentation, (ii) length of retention period, (iii) presence or absence of distracting activity. In one experiment an opportunity for rehearsal was provided before the distracting activity was introduced. It was found that although a brief presentation (0–05 sec.) was sufficient for accurate perception, retention deteriorated with delay in a marked manner which resembled the classical STM forgetting curves for verbal material. The deterioration was increased by a distracting task which required vision. The asymptotic error level was decreased by prolonging presentation or by permitting rehearsal, but little advantage was gained by extending the presentation beyond 3 sec.

Cited by 32

Characteristics of visual short-term memory

Robert H. Logie · The European Journal of Cognitive Psychology · 1989

Abstract It is clear that human beings have the capacity to retain visual information over brief intervals, and that the representation may take the form of active visualisation. However, the characteristics of the cognitive mechanism(s) or system(s) involved in visualisation and temporary storage of visual information are as yet unclear. Of particular interest are the limitations on the operation of such a system. One suggestion is that the system has a capacity of a single pattern (Phillips, 1983). Other studies have suggested that several patterns may be retained. More recent work has suggested a limitation in terms of pattern complexity or the similarity of pattern elements. Studies of verbal short-term memory have benefited from the exploration of the effects on retention of phonological similarity or word length. Both of these effects constitute limitations on the effective function of verbal "working memory". This paper will review contrasting views and data on the characteristics of visual short-term memory, in order to assess whether an understanding of this function might benefit from an approach analogous to that used in the theoretical development of verbal short-term memory. It is argued that there are a number of different limitations on visual short-term storage, and that these limitations may be interpreted within the context of a specialised mechanism for short-term visual storage as a component of a working memory system.

Cited by 64

Organization of visual short-term memory.

Yinan Jiang, Ingrid R. Olson, Marvin M. Chun · Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition · 2000

The authors examined the organization of visual short-term memory (VSTM). Using a change-detection task, they reported that VSTM stores relational information between individual items. This relational processing is mediated by the organization of items into spatial configurations. The spatial configuration of visual objects is important for VSTM of spatial locations, colors, and shapes. When color VSTM is compared with location VSTM, spatial configuration plays an integral role because configuration is important for color VSTM, whereas color is not important for location VSTM. The authors also examined the role of attention and found that the formation of configuration is modulated by both top-down and bottom-up attentional factors. In summary, the authors proposed that VSTM stores the relational information of individual visual items on the basis of global spatial configuration.

Cited by 221

Binding in short-term visual memory.

Mary E. Wheeler, Anne Treisman · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · 2002

The integration of complex information in working memory, and its effect on capacity, shape the limits of conscious cognition. The literature conflicts on whether short-term visual memory represents information as integrated objects. A change-detection paradigm using objects defined by color with location or shape was used to investigate binding in short-term visual memory. Results showed that features from the same dimension compete for capacity, whereas features from different dimensions can be stored in parallel. Binding between these features can occur, but focused attention is required to create and maintain the binding over time, and this integrated format is vulnerable to interference. In the proposed model, working memory capacity is limited both by the independent capacity of simple feature stores and by demands on attention networks that integrate this distributed information into complex but unified thought objects.

Cited by 788

Organization of visual short-term memory.

Yuhong Jiang, Ingrid R. Olson, Marvin M. Chun · Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition · 2000

The authors examined the organization of visual short-term memory (VSTM). Using a change-detection task, they reported that VSTM stores relational information between individual items. This relational processing is mediated by the organization of items into spatial configurations. The spatial configuration of visual objects is important for VSTM of spatial locations, colors, and shapes. When color VSTM is compared with location VSTM, spatial configuration plays an integral role because configuration is important for color VSTM, whereas color is not important for location VSTM. The authors also examined the role of attention and found that the formation of configuration is modulated by both top-down and bottom-up attentional factors. In summary, the authors proposed that VSTM stores the relational information of individual visual items on the basis of global spatial configuration.

Cited by 518