title: Dual-task interference in visual working memory: a limitation in storage capacity but not in encoding or retrieval.
abstract: The concurrent maintenance of two visual working memory (VWM) arrays can lead to profound interference. It is unclear, however, whether these costs arise from limitations in VWM storage capacity (Fougnie & Marois, 2006) or from interference between the storage of one visual array and encoding or retrieval of another visual array (Cowan & Morey, 2007). Here, we show that encoding a VWM array does not interfere with maintenance of another VWM array unless the two displays exceed maintenance capacity (Experiments 1 and 2). Moreover, manipulating the extent to which encoding and maintenance can interfere with one another had no discernable effect on dual-task performance (Experiment 2). Finally, maintenance of a VWM array was not affected by retrieval of information from another VWM array (Experiment 3). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that dual-task interference between two concurrent VWM tasks is due to a capacity-limited store that is independent from encoding and retrieval processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 627 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Ave S., Nashville, TN 37203, USA. d.fougnie@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Daryl
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fougnie
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marois
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003118:Color Perception; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003463:Cues; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult