Distinct capacity limits for attention and working memory: Evidence from attentive tracking and visual working memory paradigms.

Full Abstract

A hallmark of both visual attention and working memory is their severe capacity limit:
People can attentively track only about four objects in a multiple object tracking (MOT) task and can hold only up to four objects in visual working memory (VWM). It has been proposed that attention underlies the capacity limit of VWM. We tested this hypothesis by determining the effect of varying the load of a MOT task performed during the retention interval of a VWM task and comparing the resulting dual-task costs with those observed when a VWM task was performed concurrently with another VWM task or with a verbal working memory task. Instead of supporting the view that the capacity limit of VWM is solely attention based, the results indicate that VWM capacity is set by the interaction of visuospatial attentional, central amodal, and local task-specific sources of processing.

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Author information

Author/s: Fougnie, Daryl (D); Marois, René (R);

Affiliation: Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 530 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Ave S., Nashville, TN 37203, USA.

Grants: R01 MH70776 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society / APS (Psychol Sci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jun; vol 17 (issue 6) : pp 526-34

Dates: Created 2006/06/14; Completed 2006/08/10; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 16771804, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Attention
Humans
Memory

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