Configural representations in spatial working memory: modulation by perceptual segregation and voluntary attention

Gmeindl, Leon; Nelson, James; Wiggin, Timothy D.; Reuter‐Lorenz, Patricia A. · 2011 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3758/s13414-011-0180-0

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Summary

This study investigates how multiple spatial locations are represented in working memory (WM), specifically examining whether visuospatial stimuli are encoded as individual locations or as configural representations (interitem relationships). Previous research suggested that stimulus configuration influences change detection, but it remained unclear whether this configural coding is obligatory or if it can be modulated by perceptual segregation and voluntary attention. The authors conducted three experiments to determine if these mechanisms can isolate or suppress the influence of irrelevant stimulus configurations on location-change detection performance. In Experiment 1, participants performed a global match/nonmatch task involving three dots. Results confirmed that preserving the stimulus configuration increased false-alarm rates compared to distorting it, particularly when fewer items were displaced. This indicated that configural information strongly influences WM representations even when task-irrelevant. Experiment 2 manipulated perceptual segregation by using color singletons to distinguish relevant targets from distractors at the target and/or probe phases. When only the probe was segregated (black–red condition) or only the target was segregated (red–black condition), the influence of stimulus configuration persisted, although performance improved when memory load was reduced. However, when both target and probe were segregated by color (red–red condition), the influence of stimulus configuration was virtually eliminated. This suggests that perceptual segregation at both encoding and retrieval stages allows for the isolation of configuration-independent representations. Experiment 3 examined the role of voluntary attention by cueing the target location before stimulus presentation. Contrary to the effects of perceptual segregation, voluntary attention directed to the target location prior to presentation failed to attenuate the influence of stimulus configuration on performance. The authors conclude that while perceptual segregation can effectively suppress configural coding, voluntary attention alone is insufficient to prevent the encoding of irrelevant configural properties. These findings imply that configural representations in spatial WM are robust and difficult to suppress through top-down attentional control, likely due to limitations in attentional resources or the automatic nature of configural processing. The study highlights the distinct roles of bottom-up perceptual grouping and top-down attention in shaping spatial working memory representations.

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• attention selective divided