Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory
Abstract Visual working memory has severe capacity limits, creating a bottleneck for active processing. A key way of mitigating this limitation is by chunking, i.e. compressing several pieces of information into one visual working memory representation. However, despite decades of research, chunking...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhad378 https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article-pdf/33/23/11420/53828049/bhad378.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1093/cercor/bhad378 2024-01-07T09:47:03+01:00 Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory Balaban, Halely Drew, Trafton Luria, Roy Azrieli Fellowship Israel Science Foundation Binational Science Foundation 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhad378 https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article-pdf/33/23/11420/53828049/bhad378.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights Cerebral Cortex volume 33, issue 23, page 11420-11430 ISSN 1047-3211 1460-2199 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Cognitive Neuroscience journal-article 2023 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhad378 2023-12-08T09:28:20Z Abstract Visual working memory has severe capacity limits, creating a bottleneck for active processing. A key way of mitigating this limitation is by chunking, i.e. compressing several pieces of information into one visual working memory representation. However, despite decades of research, chunking efficiency remains debated because of mixed evidence. We propose that there are actually 2 integration mechanisms: Grouping combines several objects to one representation, and object-unification merges the parts of a single object. Critically, we argue that the fundamental distinction between the 2 processes is their differential use of the pointer system, the indexing process connecting visual working memory representations with perception. In grouping, the objects that are represented together still maintain independent pointers, making integration costly but highly flexible. Conversely, object-unification fuses the pointers as well as the representations, with the single pointer producing highly efficient integration but blocking direct access to individual parts. We manipulated integration cues via task-irrelevant movement, and monitored visual working memory’s online electrophysiological marker. Uniquely colored objects were flexibly grouped and ungrouped via independent pointers (experiment 1). If objects turned uniformly black, object-integration could not be undone (experiment 2), requiring visual working memory to reset before re-individuation. This demonstrates 2 integration levels (representational-merging versus pointer-compression) and establishes the dissociation between visual working memory representations and their underlying pointers. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Pointers Oxford University Press (via Crossref) Cerebral Cortex |
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Oxford University Press (via Crossref) |
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English |
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Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Cognitive Neuroscience |
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Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Cognitive Neuroscience Balaban, Halely Drew, Trafton Luria, Roy Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory |
topic_facet |
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Cognitive Neuroscience |
description |
Abstract Visual working memory has severe capacity limits, creating a bottleneck for active processing. A key way of mitigating this limitation is by chunking, i.e. compressing several pieces of information into one visual working memory representation. However, despite decades of research, chunking efficiency remains debated because of mixed evidence. We propose that there are actually 2 integration mechanisms: Grouping combines several objects to one representation, and object-unification merges the parts of a single object. Critically, we argue that the fundamental distinction between the 2 processes is their differential use of the pointer system, the indexing process connecting visual working memory representations with perception. In grouping, the objects that are represented together still maintain independent pointers, making integration costly but highly flexible. Conversely, object-unification fuses the pointers as well as the representations, with the single pointer producing highly efficient integration but blocking direct access to individual parts. We manipulated integration cues via task-irrelevant movement, and monitored visual working memory’s online electrophysiological marker. Uniquely colored objects were flexibly grouped and ungrouped via independent pointers (experiment 1). If objects turned uniformly black, object-integration could not be undone (experiment 2), requiring visual working memory to reset before re-individuation. This demonstrates 2 integration levels (representational-merging versus pointer-compression) and establishes the dissociation between visual working memory representations and their underlying pointers. |
author2 |
Azrieli Fellowship Israel Science Foundation Binational Science Foundation |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Balaban, Halely Drew, Trafton Luria, Roy |
author_facet |
Balaban, Halely Drew, Trafton Luria, Roy |
author_sort |
Balaban, Halely |
title |
Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory |
title_short |
Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory |
title_full |
Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory |
title_fullStr |
Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory |
title_full_unstemmed |
Dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory |
title_sort |
dissociable online integration processes in visual working memory |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhad378 https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article-pdf/33/23/11420/53828049/bhad378.pdf |
genre |
The Pointers |
genre_facet |
The Pointers |
op_source |
Cerebral Cortex volume 33, issue 23, page 11420-11430 ISSN 1047-3211 1460-2199 |
op_rights |
https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhad378 |
container_title |
Cerebral Cortex |
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