The Role Of Executive Working Memory In Contextual Cueing Effect

Repeated configurations lead to more efficient search performance than random configurations do,known as contextual cueing effect.Recent studies have revealed that different types of working memory influence contextual cueing on different processing stages.Specifically,concurrent spatial working memory task primarily hinders the expression of contextual cueing,whereas object working memory load has no effect on both learning and expression of contextual cueing.However,the mechanism underlying the relation of working memory and contextual cueing remains unknown.In addition,the central executive system may also play a role in contextual cueing effect,which also needs further research.We adopted the dual-task paradigm similar to Han & Kim(2004)in order to investigate the role of executive working memory in contextual cueing effect.Participants performed a CC task while maintaining or manipulating information in WM during each trial.In experiment 1 and 2 we compared the effects of storage WM tasks with executive WM tasks.The maintenance WM task required participants to store three digits in memory during the CC trial(Experiment 1a).The executive WM task required participants to subtract 3 from each digit during the CC trial(Experiment 1b).Contextual cueing effect seems robust across storage and executive WM task conditions,regardless of the additional executive load or the difficulty of WM task in Experiment 1.WM load was increased from three digits to four digits in both WM tasks Experiment 2.This time,we found CCE occur in Experiment 2a but not in Experiment 2b.In Experiment 3,we conducted a within-subject design to replicate and extend our findings from Experiment 1 and 2;we explored if WM load affects acquisition or retrieval of learned contextual information.This was done by adding a search-only task phase after the dual-task phase.Again,CCEs survived under low executive load but succumbed to concurrent high-load task in Experiment 3.And contextual cueing effect didn't appeared even when executive working memory was released in single-only task,illustrated that executive working memory affects acquisition of learned contextual information in dual-task.CCEs appeared in Experiment 1a(retain 3 digits),Experiment 2a(retain 4 digits),and Experiment 1b(subtract 3 digits),but not in Experiment 2b(subtract 4 digits).We can draw the conclusion that CCEs diminished or vanished when executive WM resources has been sufficiently occupied by a secondary task.And our results support that executive WM processes might be involved in the contextual learning process.