Abstract
People are able to prioritize more valuable information in working memory. The current study examined whether this value effect is due to the items of greater value being refreshed more than lower-value items during maintenance. To assess this possibility, we combined a probe value manipulation with a guided-refreshing procedure. Arrays of colored shapes were presented, and after a brief delay, participants reported the color of one randomly probed shape on a continuous color wheel. To manipulate probe value, one item was indicated as more valuable than the rest prior to encoding (i.e., worth more notional points), or all items were indicated as equally valuable. To guide refreshing, in some trials, two arrows were presented during maintenance, each arrow cueing the spatial location of one item. Participants were told to “think of” (i.e., refresh) the cued item. If value boosts are driven by attentional refreshing, cueing an item to be refreshed should enhance performance for items that are of low or equal value, but not items of high value, as these items would be refreshed regardless of the cue. This pattern of outcomes was observed, providing support for the hypothesis that attentional refreshing at least partially accounts for probe value effects in working memory.
Highlights
Working memory (WM) allows a limited amount of information to be temporarily stored in a state of heightened accessibility for use in ongoing processing (Cowan, 2017)
It has been suggested that the effect may emerge due to a biased attentional refreshing procedure, whereby the individual “thinks of” the more valuable item more during the retention interval, relative to the other items (Atkinson et al, 2018; Hitch et al, 2018; Sandry et al, 2014)
The current study aimed to leverage the directed refreshing procedure developed by Souza et al (2015) to investigate whether probe value effects rely on attentional refreshing
Summary
Working memory (WM) allows a limited amount of information to be temporarily stored in a state of heightened accessibility for use in ongoing processing (Cowan, 2017). Value can be induced by monetary rewards (e.g., Klyszejko et al, 2014) or by offering notional points (see Hitch et al, 2020, for a review) In the latter paradigm, participants are presented with series of items to remember for a brief period. It has been suggested that the effect may emerge due to a biased attentional refreshing procedure, whereby the individual “thinks of” the more valuable item more during the retention interval, relative to the other items (Atkinson et al, 2018; Hitch et al, 2018; Sandry et al, 2014). The current study aimed to leverage the directed refreshing procedure developed by Souza et al (2015) to investigate whether probe value effects rely on attentional refreshing. A secondary aim of the study was to replicate the basic probe value and directed refreshing manipulations across different laboratories
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