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Behind the scenes: How visual memory load biases selective attention during processing of visual streams
Author(s) -
Klaver Peter,
Talsma Durk
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/psyp.12126
Subject(s) - psychology , working memory , cognitive psychology , selection (genetic algorithm) , task (project management) , visual memory , selective attention , affect (linguistics) , cognition , communication , neuroscience , computer science , artificial intelligence , management , economics
We recorded ERP s to investigate whether the visual memory load can bias visual selective attention. Participants memorized one or four letters and then responded to memory‐matching letters presented in a relevant color while ignoring distractor letters or letters in an irrelevant color. Stimuli in the relevant color elicited larger frontal selection positivities ( FSP ) and occipital selection negativities ( OSN ) compared to irrelevant color stimuli. Only distractors elicited a larger FSP in the high than in the low memory load task. Memory load prolonged the OSN for all letters. Response mapping complexity was also modulated but did not affect the FSP and OSN . Together, the FSP data suggest that high memory load increased distractability. The OSN data suggest that memory load sustained attention to letters in a relevant color until working memory processing was completed, independently of whether the letters were in working memory or not.