What are the effects of attentional prioritization on multifeature objects in WM?

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event What are the effects of attentional prioritization on multifeature objects in WM? Muhammet Ikbal Sahan1, 2*, Andrew D. Sheldon3, 4 and Bradley Postle2, 5 1 Ghent University, Experimental Psychology, Belgium 2 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Psychiatry, United States 3 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Neuroscience Training Program, United States 4 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Medical Scientist Training Program, United States 5 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Psychology, United States Attentional prioritization is a dynamic mechanism for selecting objects in visual working memory (VWM). It has been shown that the content of VWM representations that are in the attentional focus can be flexibly decoded from multivariate pattern activity (Lewis-Peacock, Drysdale, Oberauer & Postle, 2012). However, what is unknown is how this attentional prioritization works for features that are bound to an object themselves. To address this question, two multidimensional objects (colored dots drifting coherently in one direction) were presented as memoranda, followed by retrospective cues instructing the subject to retain either one of the two features that are bound into an object (color and motion direction), or one of the two features across objects (i.e., the color or the motion direction of each object). The aim was to obtain fMRI-based pattern activation reconstructions of the cued and uncued feature representations that were bound into an object. Despite elevated BOLD activity in frontoparietal network during delay, no representational content could be decoded from these regions. To the contrary, we could reconstruct high-fidelity representations in the sensory regions that did not show elevated BOLD activation during delay. While the cued visual feature reconstruction remained robust throughout the whole delay, the uncued feature representation could also be reconstructed though with a decrease in robustness by time. Importantly, this effect was only observed when the features were bound into an object. These results have implications for competing theories about the prioritization of object and feature representations in VWM. References Lewis-Peacock, J. A., Drysdale, A. T., Oberauer, K., & Postle, B. R. (2012). Neural evidence for a distinction between short-term memory and the focus of attention. Keywords: fMRI, inverted encoding model, working memory, short term memory, Attention Conference: 12th National Congress of the Belgian Society for Neuroscience, Gent, Belgium, 22 May - 22 May, 2017. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Cognition and Behavior Citation: Sahan M, Sheldon AD and Postle B (2019). What are the effects of attentional prioritization on multifeature objects in WM?. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 12th National Congress of the Belgian Society for Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2017.94.00062 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 23 Apr 2017; Published Online: 25 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: Mr. Muhammet Ikbal Sahan, Ghent University, Experimental Psychology, Ghent, Belgium, muhammet.sahan@ugent.be Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Muhammet Ikbal Sahan Andrew D Sheldon Bradley Postle Google Muhammet Ikbal Sahan Andrew D Sheldon Bradley Postle Google Scholar Muhammet Ikbal Sahan Andrew D Sheldon Bradley Postle PubMed Muhammet Ikbal Sahan Andrew D Sheldon Bradley Postle Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.