Working memory is not fixed-capacity: More active storage capacity for real-world objects than for simple stimuli
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- Timothy F. Brady
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093;
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- Viola S. Störmer
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
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- George A. Alvarez
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
Description
<jats:title>Significance</jats:title> <jats:p>Visual working memory is the cognitive system that holds visual information in an active state, making it available for cognitive processing and protecting it against interference. Here, we demonstrate that visual working memory has a greater capacity than previously measured. In particular, we use EEG to show that, contrary to existing theories, enhanced performance with real-world objects relative to simple stimuli in short-term memory tasks is reflected in active storage in working memory and is not entirely due to the independent usage of episodic long-term memory systems. These data demonstrate that working memory and its capacity limitations are dependent upon our knowledge. Thus, working memory is not fixed-capacity; instead, its capacity is dependent on exactly what is being remembered.</jats:p>
Journal
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- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 (27), 7459-7464, 2016-06-20
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Details 詳細情報について
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- CRID
- 1363951793808530688
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- ISSN
- 10916490
- 00278424
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- Data Source
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- Crossref