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An Interference Model for Visual and Verbal Working Memory.

Authors :
Oberauer, Klaus
Lin, Hsuan-Yu
Source :
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory & Cognition. Jun2024, Vol. 50 Issue 6, p858-888. 31p.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Research on working memory (WM) has followed two largely independent traditions: One concerned with memory for sequentially presented lists of discrete items, and the other with short-term maintenance of simultaneously presented arrays of objects with simple, continuously varying features. Here we present a formal model of WM, the interference model (IM), that explains benchmark findings from both traditions: The shape of the error distribution from continuous reproduction of visual features, and how it is affected by memory set size; the effects of serial position for sequentially presented items, the effect of output position, and the intrusion of nontargets as a function of their distance from the target in space and in time. We apply the model to two experiments combining features of popular paradigms from both traditions: Lists of colors (Experiment 1) or of nonwords (Experiment 2) are presented sequentially and tested through selection of the target from a set of candidates, ordered by their similarity. The core assumptions of the IM are: Contents are encoded into WM through temporary bindings to contexts that serve as retrieval cues to access the contents. Bindings have limited precision on the context and the content dimension. A subset of the memory set—usually one item and its context—is maintained in a focus of attention with high precision. Successive events in an episode are encoded with decreasing strength, generating a primacy gradient. With each encoded event, automatic updating of WM reduces the strength of preceding memories, creating a recency gradient and output interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
02787393
Volume :
50
Issue :
6
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory & Cognition
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
178404477
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0001303