Spatial working memory in visual search for multiple targets
Gorbunova E.S., Lecturer, Chair of General and Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, gorbunovaes@gmail.com
The article investigated the role of spatial working memory in visual search for multiple targets, in particular, in subsequent search misses effect. This phenomenon is the second target omission after the first target has been found in visual search task. One of the theoretical interpretations of subsequent search misses is the lack of resources (attention and/or working memory) after the first target is found. Experiment investigated dual-target visual search efficiency in standard conditions and with additional spatial working memory load. Additional working memory load did not have any significant impact in multiple target visual search efficiency. The results can due to the role of object, but not spatial working memory in this task. Alternative explanation assumes using special tools and strategies.
Keywords: visual attention, working memory, visual search, subsequent search misses, strategies of perceptual task solution
Adamo S. H., Cain M. S., Mitroff S. R. Self-Induced Attentional Blink: A
Cause of Errors in Multiple-Target Search. PsychologicalScience, 2013, vol. 24, no. 12, pp. 2569–2574. doi:
10.1177/0956797613497970
Biggs A. T., Adamo S. H., Dowd E. W., Mitroff S. R. Examining perceptual
and conceptual set biases in multiple-target visual search. Attention,
Perception & Psychophysics, 2015, vol. 77, no. 3, pp. 844–855.
doi: 10.3758/s13414-014-0822-0
Cain M. S., Biggs A. T., Darling E. F., Mitroff S. R. A little bit of
history repeating: Splitting up multiple- target visual searches decreases
second-target miss errors. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied,
2014, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 112–125. doi: 10.1037/xap0000014
Cain M.S., Adamo S.H., Mitroff S.R. A taxonomy of errors in multiple-target
visual search. Visual Cogni- tion, 2013, vol. 21, no. 7, pp. 899–921.
doi: 10.1080/13506285.2013.843627
Cain M.S., Mitroff S.R. Memory for found targets interferes with subsequent
performance in multiple- target visual search. The Journal of Experimental
Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 2013, vol. 39, no. 5, pp.
1398–1408. doi: 10.1037/a0030726
Fleck M. S., Samei E., Mitroff S. R. Generalized “Satisfaction of Search”:
Adverse Influences on Dual- Target Search Accuracy. Journal of Experimental
Psychology. Applied, 2010, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 60–71. doi:
10.1037/a0018629
Gorbunova E. Perceptual similarity in visual search for multiple targets.
Acta Psychologica, 2017, vol. 173, pp. 46–54. doi:
10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.11.010.
Horowitz T.S., Wolfe J.M. Visual search has no memory. Nature, 1998,
vol. 394 (6693), pp. 575–577. doi: 10.1038/29068
Kwak H.-W., Dagenbach D., Egeth H. Further evidence for a time-independent
shift of the focus of at- tention. Perception &
Psychophysics, 1991, vol. 49, no. 5, pp. 473–480. doi:
10.3758/BF03212181
Moraglia G. Display organization and the detection of horizontal line
segments. Perception & Psycho-physics, 1989, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 265–272. doi: 10.3758/BF03210706
Oh S.H., Kim M.S. The role of spatial working memory in visual search
efficiency. PsychonomicBulletin & Review,
2004, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 275–281. doi: 10.3758/BF03196570
Pechenkova E.V., Falikman M.V. Reshenie pertseptivnoi zadachi kak
vzaimodeistvie mezhdu vosk- hodyashchimi i niskhodyashchimi protsessami
pererabotki zritel’noi informatsii [The perceptual task solu- tion as the
interaction between bottom-up and top-down processes of information
processing]. Teoretiches- kaya i eksperimental’naya psikhologiya
[Theoretical and Experimental Psychology], 2010, no. 3, pp. 52–65. (In Russ.,
abstr. in Engl.).
Samuel S., Kundel H.L., Nodine C.F., Toto L.C. Mechanism of satisfaction of
search: eye position record- ings in the reading of chest radiographs.
Radiology, 1995, vol. 194, no. 3, pp. 895–902. doi: 10.1148/radiol-
ogy.194.3.7862998
Woodman G. F., Vogel E. K., Luck S. J. Visual search remains efficient when
visual working memory is full. PsychologicalScience,
2001, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 219–224. doi: 10.1111/1467-9280.00339
Woodman G.F., Luck S.J. Visual search is slowed when visuospatial working
memory is occupied. Psy- chonomic Bulletin & Review, 2004,
vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 269–274. doi: 10.3758/BF03196569
