Memory and Proactive Interference for spatially distributed items

Endress, Ansgar D · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/h8ge4

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Summary

This paper investigates the role of Proactive Interference (PI) in visual working memory, specifically addressing whether spatial information protects memory against interference from previously encountered items. While PI is known to severely limit memory capacity in many paradigms, visual change detection tasks often appear insensitive to it. The author tests the hypothesis that binding items to their spatial locations creates distinct item-location combinations, thereby reducing confusability and shielding memory from PI. The study aims to determine if PI occurs for spatially distributed items, whether interference arises from simple items or item-location bindings, and how the presence and predictiveness of spatial information affect memory performance and susceptibility to PI. The research employs a recognition paradigm where participants view sequences of items and subsequently decide if a test item was part of the sequence. The experimental design manipulates the spatial distribution of items (spatially distributed vs. central) and the predictiveness of spatial locations. Crucially, the study distinguishes between conditions where items are unique across trials and those where items are repeated from a limited pool, allowing for the measurement of PI effects. Mathematical modeling is used to analyze the source of interference, determining whether it stems from simple item representations or combined item-location representations. The analysis separates the effects of the mere presence of spatial information from its predictiveness to isolate their specific contributions to memory impairment and interference susceptibility. The findings demonstrate that PI is reliably observed for spatially distributed items, contradicting the view that spatial information protects against interference. The interference primarily reflects items that appeared recently or frequently as memory items, with occurrences as test items playing a smaller role due to easier encoding of their temporal context. Mathematical modeling reveals that interference occurs among simple item representations rather than item-location combinations, indicating that spatial binding does not eliminate PI. Furthermore, while memory performance is impaired when items are spatially distributed, this impairment is unaffected by the predictiveness of spatial information. Importantly, the susceptibility to PI remains unaffected by either the presence or the predictiveness of spatial cues. These results imply that visual memory for spatially distributed items is significantly impaired by proactive interference driven by recent memory items. The study challenges the assumption that spatial distinctiveness mitigates PI, showing instead that interference persists at the level of simple item representations. This suggests that the mechanisms protecting memory in some visual tasks may not rely on spatial binding to reduce confusability. The findings contribute to the understanding of temporary memory limitations, highlighting that PI is a robust factor in visual memory regardless of spatial organization, and that spatial information does not serve as a protective buffer against interference from prior experience.

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• prospective memory interruptions