Authors
Anouk van Loon, Constantina Archeo, Chris Olivers
Publication date
2016/8/31
Journal
Journal of Vision
Volume
16
Issue
12
Pages
710-710
Publisher
The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Description
Recent studies have revealed that items held in visual working memory (VWM) change their status depending on task-relevance. Here, we used steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) to track the dynamics of these state changes during a combined visual search and working memory paradigm. Participants memorized two coloured items, followed by a cue that indicated which item needed to be searched for first (creating an attentional template for current task-relevant information) and which second (creating an accessory memory for later use). Peripheral checkerboards that matched the colors of the attentional template and accessory item as well as an irrelevant control color flickered at unique frequencies during a retention interval and the two searches, enabling the simultaneous tracking of both types of memory. We observed differences in occipital SSVEP amplitudes depending on the status (eg task …