Li Ziyuan, Mao Yuexin, Zhao Na, Ye Chaoxiong, Liu Penglan, Liu Qiang
School of Education, Anyang Normal University, Anyang, 455000, China.
Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Jing-an Road, Jinjiang District, Chengdu, 610000, China.
Atten Percept Psychophys. 2025 May 20. doi: 10.3758/s13414-025-03089-4.
Visual working memory (VWM) is a fundamental cognitive mechanism with limited capacity. Recent research has highlighted the effectiveness of extending the encoding items to enhance VWM capacity. However, the mechanisms responsible for such enhancement remain unclear. Our hypothesis is that the presence of distinct states within VWM (active vs. passive) may contribute to this enhancement. Extending the encoding time allows items that surpass the active storage capacity to temporally transition into the passive state, thus freeing up resources for active storage. To test this, participants were asked to memorize two arrays sequentially, with the first array held in the passive state while they actively maintained the second. We systematically extended the encoding time for the second (active) array and observed memory benefits. These benefits came at the expense of the storage of the first (passive) array, suggesting that items exceeding the active memory capacity are temporarily stored in the passive state. Overall, the presence of distinct states in VWM allows for storing more items. The employment of the passive state contributes to the benefits of extended-encoding time in VWM.
视觉工作记忆（VWM）是一种容量有限的基本认知机制。最近的研究强调了扩展编码项目以增强VWM容量的有效性。然而，导致这种增强的机制仍不清楚。我们的假设是，VWM中不同状态（活跃与被动）的存在可能有助于这种增强。延长编码时间会使超过活跃存储容量的项目暂时过渡到被动状态，从而为活跃存储腾出资源。为了验证这一点，要求参与者依次记住两个阵列，在他们积极维持第二个阵列时，第一个阵列处于被动状态。我们系统地延长了第二个（活跃）阵列的编码时间，并观察到了记忆优势。这些优势是以牺牲第一个（被动）阵列的存储为代价的，这表明超过活跃记忆容量的项目会暂时存储在被动状态。总体而言，VWM中不同状态的存在使得能够存储更多项目。被动状态的运用有助于在VWM中延长编码时间带来的益处。
