The precision of visual working memory is set by allocation of a shared resource.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Level by design analogy; non-clinical experimental laboratory psychophysics study.
PubMed 19810788 · doi:10.1167/9.10.7
What was done
The authors investigated mechanisms of visual working memory by evaluating performance on a color report task. They tested whether performance previously cited in favor of discrete-capacity "slot" models could instead be explained by a continuous shared-resource model when taking into account memory for object location in addition to memory for color.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data, statistical values, or sample sizes. It reports qualitatively that task performance critically depends on memory for spatial location, and that modeling errors in both color and location accounts for task results within a continuous resource framework without requiring a fixed limit on object storage capacity.
Why it matters
This study provides an alternative interpretation for experimental evidence supporting discrete slot models of visual working memory, arguing that continuous resource allocation across visual scenes adequately explains working memory precision and binding errors.
Limits
The abstract does not state the sample size, subject demographics, experimental trial counts, or quantitative model-fit statistics. Assessment of ecological validity outside synthetic visual feature-report paradigms was not reported.
Cited by
- supports The quality and precision of information stored in working memory degrades as more items are added.