Retention and disruption of motion information in visual short-term memory.
Velocity discrimination thresholds for drifting luminance gratings were measured as a function of the time interval between test and reference gratings, using a two-interval, forced-choice procedure. Discrimination thresholds, expressed as Weber fractions (delta V/V), were independent of interstimulus intervals (ISIs) ranging from 1-30 s, demonstrating perfect short-term retention of velocity information. When a third grating was briefly presented halfway through a 10-s ISI, memory masking was observed. Discrimination thresholds in memory masking were unaffected by maskers of the same velocity but increased by 100% when test and masker velocity differed by a factor of 2. The results are interpreted with reference to a model where the short-term memory for simple stimulus attributes is assumed to be organized in terms of arrays of memory stores linked in a lateral inhibitory network.
Magnussen
S
S
Vision Laboratory Institute of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway.
Greenlee
M W
MW
D000054:Acceleration; D001288:Attention; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009039:Motion Perception; D009949:Orientation; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D012684:Sensory Thresholds