Estimating visual working memory capacity with whole and single probe test arrays
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: Estimates of visual working memory capacity vary considerably across individuals. These estimates appear to reflect a stable cognitive trait of the observer because they are consistent over time and are strongly predictive of performance related to high-level cognitive processes such as abstract reasoning and fluid intelligence. One common measure of capacity is the change detection procedure (e.g., Luck & Vogel, 1997) in which observers are shown an array of simple objects that must be remembered over a retention period. Memory for the array is then measured with the presentation of a “test array” in which the observer must detect a change in the identity of one of the objects from the original array. In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of two variations of the test array presentation: a whole-probe test in which all of the items from the memory array are present; and a single-probe test in which only a single item from the memory array is evaluated. We measured memory capacity in these two conditions across two separate sessions separated by a one-week interval. At the group level, we found that both whole-probe and single-probe conditions yielded comparable memory capacity estimates as well as strong test-retest correlations across the two sessions. However, at the individual level, we observed that low memory capacity subjects showed a large benefit in performance for single-probe conditions relative to whole-probe conditions, while the high capacity subjects showed a slight cost in performance for single-probe test arrays. Together, these results are consistent with previous work that has suggested that low memory capacity individuals are highly susceptible to attentional distraction and interference.
Source: Journal of Vision
DOI: 10.1167/9.8.590
Authors: N. J. S. Ashby, K. Fukuda, E. K. Vogel
Institution: University of Oregon
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,850
OpenAlex ID: W2072124580