Visual working memory load disrupts the space‐based attentional guidance of target selection

Berggren, Nick; Eimer, Martin · 2019 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12323

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Summary

This study investigates the relationship between visual working memory (WM) and attentional guidance during visual search, specifically addressing whether attentional templates for target locations are maintained in WM and how they interact with non-spatial WM content. While it is commonly assumed that attentional templates are stored in WM, empirical evidence has been inconsistent, particularly regarding whether spatial and non-spatial information share the same storage resources. The authors aimed to determine if retaining non-spatial object features (shapes) in WM interferes with the selection of targets defined by their spatial location, thereby testing the hypothesis that spatial and non-spatial WM stores are not entirely independent. The experiment utilized a dual-task design with 12 participants who performed a visual search task concurrent with a WM maintenance task. During a retention period, participants memorized either one shape (low WM load) or four shapes (high WM load). Subsequently, they either performed a memory test or a visual search task. In the search task, targets were defined solely by their spatial location (e.g., upper-left or lower-right quadrants), requiring participants to maintain spatial attentional templates. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded to measure the N2pc component, an electrophysiological marker of attentional target selection. The design ensured that spatial templates were actively maintained in WM by requiring participants to track two possible target locations that remained constant across blocks, maximizing the likelihood of competition with the concurrently held shape information. The results demonstrated that high WM load significantly disrupted the space-based attentional guidance of target selection. Specifically, the N2pc component, which typically emerges around 200–250 ms post-stimulus, was strongly delayed by approximately 100 ms in high WM load blocks compared to low load blocks. In low load conditions, a reliable N2pc was observed between 250–350 ms, whereas in high load conditions, no significant N2pc was present in this window; instead, a contralateral negativity emerged later, between 350–500 ms. Behavioral reaction times showed a numerical trend toward slower responses under high load, but this effect was not statistically significant, likely due to the blocked design masking practice effects. Additionally, an exploratory analysis revealed that the early visual N1 component was attenuated under high WM load. These findings provide electrophysiological evidence that attentional templates for spatial target locations are maintained in visual working memory and compete with other WM contents. The significant delay in attentional selection under high non-spatial WM load challenges the view that spatial and non-spatial WM utilize separate, independent storage mechanisms. Instead, the results suggest a shared resource or close interaction between spatial and non-spatial WM processes. This implies that the cognitive load imposed by maintaining irrelevant object features can impair the efficiency of top-down attentional control, even when the attentional task relies exclusively on spatial templates.

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• visual search