How are Memory and Attention related in Working Memory?

1. How are Memory and Attention related in Working Memory? Elke Lange, Christian Starzynski, Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

2. Memory and Attention • Current models of Working Memory include a strong attentional component (e.g., Focus of attention in the WM model of Cowan, 2005, or Oberauer, 2002) • Attention serves as a component for • keeping information available • selecting information from either the environment (=encoding into memory) or from memory (=memory access) • manipulation of memory representations Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam • Current models of Working Memory include a strong attentional component (e.g., Focus of attention in the WM model of Cowan, 2005, or Oberauer, 2002) • Attention serves as a component for • keeping information available • selecting information from either the environment (=encoding into memory) or from memory (=memory access) • manipulation of memory representations

3. Memory Encoding Targets need to be selected Usually: Selection of targets out of non-target information Non-targets = distractors to some extend Investigating selection processes by manipulate and control distraction by irrelevant information Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

4. Why: Distraction? Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

5. Distraction is dangerous Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

6. Distraction is helpful  Background music instead of narcotic drugs Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

7. Distraction can hinder and help Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

8. Classic Paradigm 4 6 1 2 8 3 5 7 Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

9. irrelevant relevant irrelevant relevant Why are irrelevant stimuli disturbing? • Similarity-based interference • Problem of limited attentional capacity e.g., Baddeley, 1986; Neath, 2000 relevant e.g. Page & Norris, 2003 Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

10. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

11. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

12. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Activated part of long-term memory Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

13. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Activated part of long-term memory Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

14. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Activated part of long-term memory Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

15. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) • Focus of attention: • Limited to four units (Cowan, 2001) Focus of attention Activated part of long-term memory Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

16. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Central Executive • Focus of attention: • Limited to four units (Cowan, 2001) Focus of attention Activated part of long-term memory Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

17. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Central Executive • Focus of attention: • Limited to four units (Cowan, 2001) • Voluntary selection voluntarily Focus of attention Activated part of long-term memory Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

18. automatically Short sensory store The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Central Executive • Focus of attention: • Limited to four units (Cowan, 2001) • Voluntary selection • Automatic recruitment: voluntarily Focus of attention • Change in physical properties (e.g. loud noise, sudden movement) • Personal relevance (e.g. own name) Activated part of long-term memory Long-term memory Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

19. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Central Executive • Focus of attention: • Limited to four units (Cowan, 2001) • Voluntary selection • Automatic recruitment: voluntarily • Change in physical properties (e.g. loud noise, sudden movement) • Personal relevance (e.g. own name) automatically Short sensory store Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

20. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Central Executive • Focus of attention: • Limited to four units (Cowan, 2001) • Voluntary selection • Automatic recruitment: voluntarily • Change in physical properties (e.g. loud noise, sudden movement) • Personal relevance (e.g. own name) automatically Short sensory store Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

21. The working-memory model of Cowan (1995) Central Executive • Focus of attention: • Limited to four units (Cowan, 2001) • Voluntary selection • Automatic recruitment: • Change in physical properties (e.g. loud noise, sudden movement) • Personal relevance (e.g. own name) Short sensory store Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

22. Predictions of the Cowan Model deviation of the focus items in the focus loose their activation benefit leading to memory impairment for these items change in physical properties Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

23. Experiment 1: Auditory vs. Visual distractor • Relevant task: verbal or spatial serial recall • Irrelevant stimuli (synchronized with the relevant stimuli): • Auditory: Tones • Visual: Color stripes beside the relevant frame 5 1 7 3 8 Tone distractor Color distractor Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

24. Irrelevant tones Irrelevant colors ? Results: Experiment 1 ♬ Verbal Spatial Verbal Spatial Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

25. Summary Exp. 1 • Domain-specific effect of distraction? • Distraction effect in the verbal task with tone change • No distraction effect in the spatial task with color change • Possible problems with the choice of the irrelevant visual stimuli: • Maybe similarity plays a role in the visuo-spatial domain (contingent capture: Folk, Remington, & Johnston, 1992)? • Irrelevant stimuli outside of the visual relevant region might be not distractive (Eriksen & Eriksen, 1974; Awh & Pashler, 2000) ? Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

26. Experiment 2: Distraction by irrelevant objects? • Relevant task: verbal or spatial 7 • Conditions: Repetition or location change • Hypotheses:  Distraction effect spatial task  No distraction effect verbal task • Irrelevant stimuli: visual-spatial • Object-like • High perceptual similarity to the relevant stimuli • Inside the relevant visual-spatial region • Change has a spatial dimension demo Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

27. Results: Experiment 2 Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

28. Central Executive voluntary Focus of attention automatically Short sensory memory Cowan Model Criterion for distraction: Change in physical properties? Distraction of verbal task by tone change Distraction of spatial task by object location change • Not any changes but • specific changes • domain-specific effects Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

29. Strength of Discrepancy Signal Threshold A3 Threshold A1 Threshold A2 Time t2 t3 t1 Thresholds: Effected by Task Set Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

30. Central Executive voluntary Focus of attention automatically Short sensory memory Modified Model Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

31. Central Executive voluntary Focus of attention automatically Short sensory memory Modified Model Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

32. Central Executive voluntary Focus of attention automatically Short sensory memory Modified Model Threshold Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

33. Central Executive voluntary Focus of attention automatically Short sensory memory Modified Model Modulated by voluntary control Threshold Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

34. Experiment 3: Contingent Capture What is the role of similarity? Visual Search: Target has to be selected top-down, location-changing distractor captures attention bottom-up The more similar a distractor is, the more likely he is attended to Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

35. Memory Task: Serial Recall 4 9 2 7 0 3 Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

36. Memory Task: Serial Recall Spatial Task: • Digit location • 5 items 3 2 1 5 6 4 7 8 9 0 Verbal Task: Digit identity 8 items Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

37. Memory Task with Distractors 4 Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

38. Memory Task with Distractors 9 Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

39. Memory Task with Distractors Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

40. Distractors (Exp.3) 5 K 0 0 36 trials 2 2 7 7 3 3 4 4 9 9 Repetition of distractor position 9 trials Change of distractor position Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

41. Distractors (Exp.3) 5 K Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

42. Repetition versus Change Trials K 5 Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

43. Repetition versus Change (collapsed across tasks) 5 K Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

44. Results Experiment 3 • Distraction of verbal task by object location change, if object is verbal • Effect of distractor similarity • Top-down modulated attentional capture • Contingent capture Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

45. Experiment 4 • Target needs to be selected from non target items (visual search) • Target needs to be encoded into and retrieved from memory • Can we dissociate effects due to attentional selection and memory processes? Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

46. Record of Eye Movements EL 1000 from SR Research Sample Rate 1000 Hz Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

47. Why eye movements? Usually the gaze indicates where attention and information processing is located Information that is more difficult is fixated longer Information that captures attention captures the gaze  Eye movements as indicators for attentional capture and information processing Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

48. Monitoring y Time x y 1 534 487 x Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

49. Categorization of eye movements saccade Velocity x Fixational eye movements Time / ms saccade Velocity y Fixational eye movements Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam

50. Eye Movements Verbal Elke B. Lange - Christian Starzynski - Ralf Engbert University of Potsdam