Visual working memory representation as a topological defined perceptual object

Visual working memory refers to the ability to temporarily hold information in mind in the service of behavior. Often, it is not sufficient to hold an abstract idea in mind to achieve our goals. Rather, we must maintain vivid sensory details. For example, when buying a spool of thread to repair a much-loved shirt, holding an abstract category in mind is not sufficient to buy the correct color (e.g. ‘blue’)—instead, you need a precise visual memory of the color (e.g., a particular gray-ish shade of blue). One proposal for how we maintain vivid, detailed information in mind is the sensory recruitment hypothesis. Sensory recruitment proposes that neural circuits already specialized for encoding sensory details during perception are likewise recruited to help maintain this information in working memory. In this review, we recount evidence that is consistent with a key role for early visual cortex in supporting visual working memory, we discuss key debates about the role of early sensory activity in supporting memory maintenance, and we outline a framework in which sensory codes are one part of a flexible, multi-level working memory representation.

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What happens to an individual visual working memory representation when it is interrupted?

British Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1111/bjop.12339 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 110 (2) ◽

pp. 268-287 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Gi‐Yeul Bae ◽

Steven J. Luck

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Visual Working Memory ◽

Memory Representation

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Object-based grouping benefits without integrated feature representations in visual working memory

Attention Perception & Psychophysics ◽

10.3758/s13414-020-02153-5 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Siyi Chen ◽

Anna Kocsis ◽

Heinrich R. Liesefeld ◽

Hermann J. Müller ◽

Markus Conci

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Visual Working Memory ◽

Task Demands ◽

Memory Representation ◽

Feature Representations ◽

Color Features ◽

Object Based ◽

Orientation Feature ◽

Independent Features ◽

Irrelevant Color

Abstract Visual working memory (VWM) is typically considered to represent complete objects—that is, separate parts of an object are maintained as bound objects. Yet it remains unclear whether and how the features of disparate parts are integrated into a whole-object memory representation. Using a change detection paradigm, the present study investigated whether VWM performance varies as a function of grouping strength for features that either determine the grouped object (orientation) or that are not directly grouping relevant (color). Our results showed a large grouping benefit for grouping-relevant orientation features and, additionally, a much smaller, albeit reliable, benefit for grouping-irrelevant color features when both were potentially task relevant. By contrast, when color was the only task-relevant feature, no grouping benefit from the orientation feature was revealed both under lower or relatively high demands for precision. Together, these results indicate that different features of an object are stored independently in VWM; and an emerging, higher-order grouping structure does not automatically lead to an integrated representation of all available features of an object. Instead, an object benefit depends on the specific task demands, which may generate a linked, task-dependent representation of independent features.

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The Pupillary Light Response Reflects Visual Working Memory Content

10.1101/477562 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Cecília Hustá ◽

Edwin Dalmaijer ◽

Artem Belopolsky ◽

Sebastiaan Mathôt

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Visual Working Memory ◽

Pupil Size ◽

Light Response ◽

Memory Representation ◽

Brain Areas ◽

Active Memory ◽

Pupillary Light ◽

Memory Content ◽

Higher Cognitive Functions

AbstractRecent studies have shown that the pupillary light response (PLR) is modulated by higher cognitive functions, presumably through activity in visual sensory brain areas. Here we use the PLR to test the involvement of sensory areas in visual working memory (VWM). In two experiments, participants memorized either bright or dark stimuli. We found that pupils were smaller when a pre-stimulus cue indicated that a bright stimulus should be memorized; this reflects a covert shift of attention during encoding of items into VWM. Crucially, we obtained the same result with a post-stimulus cue, which shows that internal shifts of attention within VWM affect pupil size as well. Strikingly, pupil size reflected VWM content only briefly. This suggests that a shift of attention within VWM momentarily activates an “active” memory representation, but that this representation quickly transforms into a “hidden” state that does not rely on sensory areas.

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