Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 211-225 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | MEMORY |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2011 |
Abstract
Three experiments examined the cognitive costs of item switching within working memory with a novel word updating task, thereby extending previous research to the field of linguistic stimuli and linguisticgraphemic updating operations. In Experiments 1 and 2 costs for switching between working memory items were evident on the word level, and they increased with an increasing word set size (Experiment 2). In contrast, a surprisingly similar switch effect on the level of letters was not affected by word set size (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 showed that this effect is not simply based on the need for re-orienting visual spatial attention. To account for the overall picture of results, a recursive model of attentional foci is proposed. Moreover, individual working memory span appears to be associated with the accuracy of item switching, but not with its speed.
Keywords
- Attention, Focus switching, Word recognition, Working memory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities(all)
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Psychology(all)
- General Psychology
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In: MEMORY, Vol. 19, No. 2, 02.2011, p. 211-225.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The focus of attention in working memory
T2 - Evidence from a word updating task
AU - Janczyk, Markus
AU - Grabowski, Joachim
N1 - Copyright: Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2011/2
Y1 - 2011/2
N2 - Three experiments examined the cognitive costs of item switching within working memory with a novel word updating task, thereby extending previous research to the field of linguistic stimuli and linguisticgraphemic updating operations. In Experiments 1 and 2 costs for switching between working memory items were evident on the word level, and they increased with an increasing word set size (Experiment 2). In contrast, a surprisingly similar switch effect on the level of letters was not affected by word set size (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 showed that this effect is not simply based on the need for re-orienting visual spatial attention. To account for the overall picture of results, a recursive model of attentional foci is proposed. Moreover, individual working memory span appears to be associated with the accuracy of item switching, but not with its speed.
AB - Three experiments examined the cognitive costs of item switching within working memory with a novel word updating task, thereby extending previous research to the field of linguistic stimuli and linguisticgraphemic updating operations. In Experiments 1 and 2 costs for switching between working memory items were evident on the word level, and they increased with an increasing word set size (Experiment 2). In contrast, a surprisingly similar switch effect on the level of letters was not affected by word set size (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 showed that this effect is not simply based on the need for re-orienting visual spatial attention. To account for the overall picture of results, a recursive model of attentional foci is proposed. Moreover, individual working memory span appears to be associated with the accuracy of item switching, but not with its speed.
KW - Attention
KW - Focus switching
KW - Word recognition
KW - Working memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79951698570&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09658211.2010.546803
DO - 10.1080/09658211.2010.546803
M3 - Article
C2 - 21287425
AN - SCOPUS:79951698570
VL - 19
SP - 211
EP - 225
JO - MEMORY
JF - MEMORY
SN - 0965-8211
IS - 2
ER -