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PubMed · 9627416

Rehearsal in spatial working memory.

E Awh·J Jonides·P A Reuter-Lorenz
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Abstract

This article reports 3 experiments that tested a hypothesis regarding the nature of rehearsal in spatial working memory, one in which discrete shifts of spatial selective attention mediate the maintenance of location-specific representations. Experiment 1 demonstrated increases in visual processing efficiency for locations held in working memory, which suggested that attention was oriented toward these locations. Experiment 2 eliminated key alternative explanations for Experiment 1 by using an identical stimulus display with a nonspatial memory task, and little or no facilitation of processing at memorized locations was found under these conditions. Finally, Experiment 3 showed that spatial working memory was impaired when participants were hindered in their ability to attend to memorized locations. It is argued that these results implicate selective spatial attention as a rehearsal mechanism for spatial working memory.

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AttentionEye MovementsHumansMemorySpace PerceptionJournal ArticleResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

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E Awh, J Jonides, P A Reuter-Lorenz. 1998. Rehearsal in spatial working memory.. https://doi.org/10.1037/%2F0096-1523.24.3.780

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