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Factorial comparison of working memory models.
Open accessAbstract
Three questions have been prominent in the study of visual working memory limitations: (a) What is the nature of mnemonic precision (e.g., quantized or continuous)? (b) How many items are remembered? (c) To what extent do spatial binding errors account for working memory failures? Modeling studies have typically focused on comparing possible answers to a single one of these questions, even though the result of such a comparison might depend on the assumed answers to both others. Here, we consider every possible combination of previously proposed answers to the individual questions. Each model is then a point in a 3-factor model space containing a total of 32 models, of which only 6 have been tested previously. We compare all models on data from 10 delayed-estimation experiments from 6 laboratories (for a total of 164 subjects and 131,452 trials). Consistently across experiments, we find that (a) mnemonic precision is not quantized but continuous and not equal but variable across items and trials; (b) the number of remembered items is likely to be variable across trials, with a mean of 6.4 in the best model (median across subjects); (c) spatial binding errors occur but explain only a small fraction of responses (16.5% at set size 8 in the best model). We find strong evidence against all 6 documented models. Our results demonstrate the value of factorial model comparison in working memory.
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“We performed a model recovery analysis [93] to test our ability to distinguish our 6 core models, as well as the 2 stronger versions of the Bayesian model.”
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Metadata
- Authors
- van den Berg, R., Awh, E., & Ma, W. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- University of Oregon (US)
- New York University (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Review
- Published
- 2014
- Volume
- 121
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 124-149
- ISSN
- 0033-295X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1471
- PMC
- PMC4159389
- OpenAlex
- W2131353194
- Cited by
- 311
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 13
- FWCI
- 19.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychological Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Cambridge University Engineering Department Publications Database (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Eye Institute (R01EY020958)
- Army Research Office (W911NF-12-1-0262)
- Sponsor name not included (NIH-R01MH077105)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Keywords
- visual working memory, working memory models, set size, model spaces
- MeSH terms
- Attention, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Humans, Memory, Short-Term, Models, Psychological, Neuropsychological Tests, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Psychomotor Performance, Reaction Time, Retention, Psychology, Models, Statistical, Statistical Distributions, Likelihood Functions
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