The function of (spatio-)temporal context in visual working memory

• Applicants: Dr. Anna Heuer; Professor Dr. Martin Rolfs
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 402235373

We perceive and describe visual events in a spatiotemporal fashion, and it seems natural to assume that spatiotemporal properties likewise structure the cognitive processes that enable us to experience and act in the first place. For visual working memory, a critical role of space is indeed widely acknowledged, but much less is known about the role of temporal properties. Our recent work has shown that both spatial and temporal contexts are not only incidentally encoded along with to-be-memorised information but also functionally relevant, suggesting that they constitute fundamental reference frames that aid memory.Building on these findings, this project aims to advance our understanding of (spatio-)temporal context in visual working memory and to characterise its function for remembering visual events. We will pursue four main objectives to achieve this overarching goal. (1) To elucidate when and how spatiotemporal context benefits visual working memory, we will delineate the time course of spatiotemporal context effects to determine if memory dependence on spatiotemporal reference frames only builds up during maintenance, indicating a functional role during this processing stage, and decreases at longer delays, indicating a transformation to a different storage format. We will then examine if spatiotemporal properties contribute to the benefits of attentional refreshing, a mechanism that could underlie context effects during maintenance. (2) We will identify principles that guide the formation of spatiotemporal reference frames in more natural environments. More specifically, we will reveal boundary conditions, under which reference frames comprise spatiotemporal properties of task-irrelevant objects, and determine if and how spatiotemporal reference frames are updated for moving objects. (3) We will clarify if individual differences in the encoding of spatiotemporal context reflect stable, trait-like characteristics that are related to spatial and temporal abilities and established markers of VWM (e.g., capacity and filtering efficiency). (4) We will characterise the role of spatiotemporal context in healthy aging. In particular, we will establish if the encoding of spatiotemporal context in older age is impaired, contributing to the general decline of working memory, or enhanced, possibly counteracting age-related impairments.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants