Visuo-verbal interactions in working memory: evidence from event-related potentials.
Working memory is thought to involve separate modality-specific storage systems. Interactions between these storage systems were investigated using a novel cross-modal 2-back paradigm. 2-back, 1-back and target items were presented either visually as a verbalizable linedrawing or auditorily as a digitized spoken word. ERPs for auditory targets were primarily modulated by the presentation modality of the 2-back item, whereas ERPs for visual targets were largely modulated by presentation modality of the 1-back item. Results indicate that verbalizable pictures are only partially transformed into a phonological code for rehearsal in working memory. Furthermore, results support the idea of a more stable and persistent auditory short-term store as opposed to a more transiently activated visual store for verbalizable material.
Peters
Jan
J
International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. jan.peters_@web.de
Suchan
Boris
B
Zhang
Yaxin
Y
Daum
Irene
I
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*