The Representation Of Task-irrelevant Features In Visual Working Memory

Visual working memory is an information processing system with limited capacity and plays an important role in many advanced cognitive activities.The representation unit problem has always been a hot topic in the field of visual working memory,and there has always been disagreement on whether the visual working memory representation unit is the object of integration or the individual features.This study used colored shapes as the material,color features for the tasks related to task requirement,shape features for a task has nothing to do.On the one hand,we referenced the change detection paradigm,with the "irrelevant-change distracting effect " as an indicator,through a survey of features related to memory task,indirect inspection task irrelevant features in visual working memory representation;On the other hand,the visual search task is used to directly investigate the representation of task irrelevant features.Through three experiments we examined how task irrelevant features represented in visual working memory: Experiment 1 we used the task relevant features types 2(change,no change)by task irrelevant features types 3(no changed,old and new)within-subjects design,to research the influence conducted by change types on the change detection of task relevant features.Experiment 2 adopted the task relevant features types 2(change,no change)by search shape change types 2(change,no change)s within-subjects design,to research task irrelevant features couldn't associated with the task relevant features to an integrated object is the result of the perceptual filter or extract inhibition caused.Experiment 3 we cut back the number of task irrelevant features,and used the task relevant features types 2(change,no change)by task irrelevant features types 3(no changed,old and new)within-subjects design,to research how objects represented in working memory.The main conclusions are as follows:The visual working memory system can detect whether the task relevant features was changed according to the task demands.The task irrelevant features cannot be represented in the working memory system with task relevant features into integrated objects,but in the form of individual features.The binding relationship between features only occurs automatically when the information of all the features of the object is fully processed.