Title: Colored Word, Is it Visual or Verbal?
Woohyeuk (Leo) Chang, doctoral student in the Awh/Vogel Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago
Abstract: Visual working memory (VWM) and verbal working memory have often been treated as distinct processes. However, recent research suggests a potential overlap between these two forms of memory. For instance, letters and words, despite their verbal associations, can elicit similar contralateral delay activity (CDA) – a load-sensitive electrophysiological signature of VWM that is typically associated with visual stimuli (e.g., colored squares). Here, by leveraging multivariate load decoding technique and representational similarity analysis, we re-analyzed data from Rajsic et al. (2019) and re-confirmed the presence of a generalized load signal across stimulus types, as well as distinct content-based signals. To further test this finding, we ran a modified version of the original task, where we removed the perceptual differences between visual and verbal working memory task conditions by using colored words. Our results once again demonstrated a generalized load signal across task conditions, while also allowing us to track the specific content being actively maintained. Thus, our results strengthen the case of a unified mechanism underlying working memory load that is independent of content.
Time: 11/13/24 3:30 PM
Location: Biopsychological Sciences Building atrium
If you have any questions, requests, and concerns, please contact Nakwon Rim (nwrim [at] uchicago [dot] edu) or Cambria Revsine (crevsine [at] uchicago [dot] edu).