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. 2009 Oct;35(5):1359-67.
doi: 10.1037/a0015792.

Discrete resource allocation in visual working memory

Brian Barton  1 , Edward F Ester, Edward Awh
Affiliations

Discrete resource allocation in visual working memory

Brian Barton et al. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2009 Oct.

Abstract

Are resources in visual working memory allocated in a continuous or a discrete fashion? On one hand, flexible resource models suggest that capacity is determined by a central resource pool that can be flexibly divided such that items of greater complexity receive a larger share of resources. On the other hand, if capacity in working memory is defined in terms of discrete storage "slots," then observers may be able to determine which items are assigned to a slot but not how resources are divided between stored items. To test these predictions, the authors manipulated the relative complexity of the items to be stored while holding the number items constant. Although mnemonic resolution declined when set size increased (Experiment 1), resolution for a given item was unaffected by large variations in the complexity of the other items to be stored when set size was held constant (Experiments 2-4). Thus, resources in visual working memory are distributed in a discrete slot-based fashion, even when interitem variations in complexity motivate an asymmetrical division of resources across items.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The sequence of events in a single trial of Experiment 1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mnemonic resolution, C, in Experiment 1 as a function of object category and set size.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Change detection accuracy in Experiment 2 as a function of object category and display type.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Change detection accuracy in Experiment 3 as a function of object category and display type.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Accuracy with teardrop probes in Experiment 4a as a function of orientation offset and whether or not a grid also had to be stored.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The sequence of events in a single trial of Experiment 4b.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Accuracy with simple and complex grids in Experiment 4b.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Accuracy with teardrop stimuli as a function of angular offset and the complexity of the grids within the same sample display.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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