title: Object formation in visual working memory: Evidence from object-based attention.
abstract: We report on how visual working memory (VWM) forms intact perceptual representations of visual objects using sub-object elements. Specifically, when objects were divided into fragments and sequentially encoded into VWM, the fragments were involuntarily integrated into objects in VWM, as evidenced by the occurrence of both positive and negative object-based attention effects: In Experiment 1, when subjects' attention was cued to a location occupied by the VWM object, the target presented at the location of that object was perceived as occurring earlier than that presented at the location of a different object. In Experiment 2, responses to a target were significantly slower when a distractor was presented at the same location as the cued object (Experiment 2). These results suggest that object fragments can be integrated into objects within VWM in a manner similar to that of visual perception.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, PR China. Electronic address: jifanzhou@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jifan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, PR China.
authors.forename: Haihang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, PR China.
authors.forename: Rende
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shui
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, PR China. Electronic address: mwshen@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Mowei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D003463:Cues; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual
keywords: Information integration; Object-based attention; Visual perception; Visual working memory