Abstract
In this study we used the dual-task paradigm to investigate the involvement of attention in the binding of verbal and visual information in working memory. A secondary task, backward counting by threes (BCT), was performed during the retention interval of the primary recognition task based on either visual or verbal information or the binding of both. The BCT affected accuracy and response time. Accuracy was affected only in the binding condition; response time was affected only in the isolated information condition. Together these results suggest that storing integrated visual and verbal information requires more attentional resources than storing information received separately. These results are discussed in terms of involvement of the central executive in storing integrated information in working memory.
Highlights
Working memory is a short-term system involved in a wide array of everyday tasks such as reading, comprehension, arguing, learning, decision-making, and reasoning
In this study we investigated the role of attention in the integrated storage of verbal and visual information in working memory
According to the initial concept of an episodic buffer, binding information from the different storing subsystems is performed by the new component, with the involvement of the central executive (Baddeley, 2000)
Summary
Working memory is a short-term system involved in a wide array of everyday tasks such as reading, comprehension, arguing, learning, decision-making, and reasoning. Despite the success obtained because of its immense capacity to generate new research and ideas, this two-system model appeared to be limited in situations when it was necessary to bind information from distinct systems, such as the visual and verbal, into one single representation or in situations when new information should be integrated or related to information that already exists in longterm memory These difficulties suggested a need for a third storage system, an episodic buffer, whose primary function would be to temporarily bind and store, in more. According to Baddeley (2000), the episodic buffer would be a temporary storage system with limited capacity that acts as an interface with other short-term memory systems that use specific modality codes; the buffer is a multidimensional coding system This storage system is considered episodic because of its ability to store episodes (i.e., chunks of information; Miller, 1956) in unitary representations that could be accessed by conscious awareness. Access of the information available in the specific subsystems to the buffer would occur through the central executive, which would make the process of coding and storing multimodal information dependent on general attentional resources
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