Integrated Object Representations in Visual Working Memory Examined by Change Detection and Recall Task Performance.

This study investigates the characteristics of visual working memory (VWM) representations by examining two theoretical models: the integrated-object and the parallel-independent feature storage models. Experiment I involved a change detection task where participants memorized arrays of either orientation bars, colored squares, or both. In the one-feature condition, the memory array consisted of one feature (either orientations or colors), whereas the two-feature condition included both. We found no differences in change detection performance between the conditions, favoring the integrated object model over the parallel-independent feature storage model. Experiment II employed a recall task with memory arrays of isosceles triangles' orientations, colored squares, or both, and one-feature and two-feature conditions were compared for their recall performance. We found again no clear difference in recall accuracy between the conditions, but the results of analyses for memory precision and guessing responses indicated the weak object model over the strong object model. For ongoing debates surrounding VWM ’s representational characteristics, these findings highlight the dominance of the integrated object model over the parallel independent feature storage model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]