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Attribute amnesia describes the failure to unexpectedly report the attribute of an attended stimulus, likely reflecting a lack of working memory consolidation. Previous studies have shown that unique meaningful objects are immune to attribute amnesia. However, these studies used highly dissimilar foils to test memory, raising the possibility that good performance at the surprise test was based on an imprecise (gist-like) form of long-term memory. In Experiment 1, we explored whether a more sensitive memory test would reveal attribute amnesia in meaningful objects. We used a four-alternative-forced-choice test with foils having mis-matched exemplar (e.g., apple pie/pumpkin pie) and/or state (e.g., cut/full) information. Errors indicated intact exemplar, but not state information. Thus, meaningful objects are vulnerable to attribute amnesia under the right conditions. In Experiments 2A-2D, we manipulated the familiarity signals of test items by introducing a critical object as a pre-surprise target. In the surprise trial, this critical item matched one of the foil choices. Participants selected the critical object more often than other items. By demonstrating that familiarity influences responses in this paradigm, we suggest that meaningful objects are not immune to attribute amnesia but instead side-step the effects of attribute amnesia.
Abstract
In serial dependence, perceptual decisions are biased towards stimuli encountered in the recent past. Here, we investigate whether and how serial dependence is affected by the availability of visual working memory (VWM) resources. In two experiments, participants reproduced the orientation of a series of stimuli. On alternating trials, we included an additional VWM task with randomly varying levels of load. Serial dependence was not only affected by the additional load task but also clearly modulated by the level of load: a high load in the previous trial reduced serial dependence while a high load in the present increased it. These results were independent of the effects of VWM load on the precision of reproduction responses. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms that may regulate serial dependence, revealing its intimate link with VWM resources.
Significance statement
Our perception, thoughts, and behavior are continuously influenced by recent events. For instance, the way we process and understand current visual information depends on what we have seen in the preceding seconds, a phenomenon known as serial dependence. The precise mechanisms and factors involved in serial dependence are still unclear. Here, we demonstrated that working memory resources are a crucial component. Specifically, when we are currently experiencing a heavy memory load, the influence of prior stimuli becomes stronger. Conversely, when prior stimuli were shown under a high memory load, their influence was reduced. These findings highlight the importance of working memory resources in shaping our interpretation of the present based on the recent past.