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This study examines to what extent limitations in short-term memory capacity in the haptic modality depends on (1) the narrowness of the effective field of view combined with a sequential processing of information, and/or (2) the format in which spatial configurations are represented internally. A total of 64 participants carried out memory span tasks in four different conditions: haptic, visual, visual with a limited field of view, and haptic with visual cues. Results provide support for both hypotheses. Differences in haptic and visual short-term memory disappeared when the visual processing of information occurred within a limited field and when the haptic processing of information was aided by visual cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forgetfulness results in interference and/or deletion. Visual short-term memory (VSTM) gradually decays as the retention time elapses, causing forgetfulness. Little is known about forgetfulness in VSTM, while substantial studies on VSTM have focused on the process of memory encoding, often with control of attention. Evidences suggest that the prefrontal cortex may contribute to maintain short-term memory during extended retention periods while the posterior parietal cortex may support the capacity-limited store of visual items. Here we conduct a visual memory experiment to measure the levels and source of memory decay. In particular, multiple retention intervals were used between the presentation of a study array and a cue. The results show that the correct response to cued objects decreased as retention interval increased while that to uncued and novel objects remain unchanged. These data indicate that forgetfulness in VSTM is primarily due to interference rather than memory deletion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]