Visual Working Memory Capacity and Information Filtering
Author Information
Author(s): Zhou Jifan, Yin Jun, Chen Tong, Ding Xiaowei, Gao Zaifeng, Shen Mowei
Primary Institution: Zhejiang University
Hypothesis
Does visual working memory (VWM) capacity modulate feature-based filtering of task-irrelevant information?
Conclusion
Visual working memory capacity does not modulate the feature-based filtering in visual working memory.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants with high VWM capacity performed better than those with low capacity.
- Irrelevant high-discriminable information was selected into VWM regardless of capacity.
- Irrelevant fine-grained information was filtered out in both capacity groups.
- No significant correlation was found between VWM capacity and N270 amplitude.
Takeaway
This study looked at how well people can remember things while ignoring distractions. It found that no matter how good someone is at remembering, they still have trouble ignoring certain types of distractions.
Methodology
Participants were divided into low- and high-VWM capacity groups and tested on their ability to filter out irrelevant information while remembering colored shapes.
Limitations
The study's findings may not apply to different types of tasks or populations, as it focused on a specific type of visual information.
Participant Demographics
24 right-handed students (13 females; mean age 23.8 years) from Zhejiang University.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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