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. 2017 Apr 7:8:530.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00530. eCollection 2017.

Differential Impact of Visuospatial Working Memory on Rule-based and Information-integration Category Learning

Qiang Xing  1   2 , Hailong Sun  2
Affiliations

Differential Impact of Visuospatial Working Memory on Rule-based and Information-integration Category Learning

Qiang Xing et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that the category learning system is a mechanism with multiple processing systems, and that working memory has different effects on category learning. But how does visuospatial working memory affect perceptual category learning? As there is no definite answer to this question, we conducted three experiments. In Experiment 1, the dual-task paradigm with sequential presentation was adopted to investigate the influence of visuospatial working memory on rule-based and information-integration category learning. The results showed that visuospatial working memory interferes with rule-based but not information-integration category learning. In Experiment 2, the dual-task paradigm with simultaneous presentation was used, in which the categorization task was integrated into the visuospatial working memory task. The results indicated that visuospatial working memory affects information-integration category learning but not rule-based category learning. In Experiment 3, the dual-task paradigm with simultaneous presentation was employed, in which visuospatial working memory was integrated into the category learning task. The results revealed that visuospatial working memory interferes with both rule-based and information-integration category learning. Through these three experiments, we found that, regarding the rule-based category learning, working memory load is the main mechanism by which visuospatial working memory influences the discovery of the category rules. In addition, regarding the information-integration category learning, visual resources mainly operates on the category representation.

Keywords: dual-task paradigm; executive function; information-integration category structure; rule-based category structure; visual processing; visuospatial working memory.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The RB category structure and II category structure. Open circles denote Category (A) and filled circles denote Category (B). The lines represent the optimal decision boundary. In a RB category structure, decisions are made based on only one dimension (in this example, frequency), whereas in an II category structure, decisions are made based on two or more dimensions (in this example, frequency and orientation).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The experimental flow chart of the category learning and visuospatial working memory tasks, under the condition of sequential presentation.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The categorization accuracy of the (A) RB and (B) II category structures in the different blocks.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
The experimental flow chart of the category learning task when it was embedded in the visuospatial working memory task.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
The learning curves of participants during the different blocks in the (A) RB and (B) II conditions.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
The experimental flow chart of the working memory task when it was embedded in the category learning task.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
The categorization accuracy of the (A) RB and (B) II category structures in the visuospatial working memory condition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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