The relational bottleneck as an inductive bias for efficient abstraction

Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 28(9), P. 829 - 843

Published: May 9, 2024

Language: Английский

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Representation and computation in working memory

Published: Oct. 6, 2022

The ability to sustain internal representations of the sensory environment beyond immediate perception is a fundamental requirement cognitive processing. In recent years, debates regarding capacity and fidelity working memory (WM) system have driven significant advances in our understanding nature these representations. particular, there growing recognition that WM are not merely imperfect copies perceived object or event, as new experimental tools revealed observers possess richer information about uncertainty their memories, take advantage environmental regularities use limited resources optimally. Meanwhile, computational models visual formulated at different levels implementation converged on common principles relating variability uncertainty. Here we review research human from perspective latest developments identifying neural mechanisms support it.

Language: Английский

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Neuronal codes for arithmetic rule processing in the human brain

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 32(6), P. 1275 - 1284.e4

Published: Feb. 14, 2022

Arithmetic is a cornerstone of scientifically and technologically advanced human culture, but its neuronal mechanisms are poorly understood. Calculating with numbers requires temporary maintenance manipulation numerical information according to arithmetic rules. We explored the brain involved in simple operations by recording single-neuron activity from medial temporal lobe subjects performing additions subtractions. found abstract notation-independent codes for addition subtraction populations. The different areas differed drastically. Decoders applied time-resolved recordings demonstrate static code hippocampus based on persistently rule-selective neurons, contrast dynamic parahippocampal cortex originating neurons carrying rapidly changing rule information. implementation suggests cognitive functions regions arithmetic.

Language: Английский

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The contribution of episodic long-term memory to working memory for bindings

Cognition, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 231, P. 105330 - 105330

Published: Nov. 24, 2022

The present experiments support two conclusions about the capacity limit of working memory (WM). First, they provide evidence for Binding Hypothesis, WM is limited by interference between bindings but not items. Second, show that episodic LTM contributes substantially to binding when stretched larger set sizes. We tested immediate sets word-picture pairs. With increasing size, declined more precipitously than items, as predicted from hypothesis. Yet, at higher sizes performance was stable expected a memory, suggesting contribution long-term (LTM) circumvent limit. In hypothesis, we double dissociation contributions and memory: Performance 3 specifically affected proactive – were immune influences distractor-filled delay. contrast, size 2 unaffected harmed

Language: Английский

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Geometry of visuospatial working memory information in miniature gaze patterns

Nature Human Behaviour, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 8(2), P. 336 - 348

Published: Dec. 18, 2023

Stimulus-dependent eye movements have been recognized as a potential confound in decoding visual working memory information from neural signals. Here we combined eye-tracking with representational geometry analyses to uncover the miniature gaze patterns while participants (n = 41) were cued maintain object orientations. Although discouraged breaking fixation by means of real-time feedback, small shifts (<1°) robustly encoded to-be-maintained stimulus orientation, evidence for encoding two sequentially presented orientations at same time. The orientation on presentation was object-specific, but it changed more object-independent format during maintenance, particularly when attention had temporarily withdrawn memorandum. Finally, categorical reporting biases increased after unattended storage, indications biased geometries already emerging maintenance periods before behavioural reporting. These findings disclose wealth visuospatial and indicate systematic changes contents unattended.

Language: Английский

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Is There an Activity-silent Working Memory?

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 34(12), P. 2360 - 2374

Published: Jan. 1, 2022

Abstract Although storage in working memory (WM) can be tracked via measurements of ongoing neural activity, past work has shown that observers maintain access to information despite temporary interruptions those patterns. This observation been regarded as evidence for a neurally silent form WM storage. Alternatively, however, unattended could retrieved from episodic long-term (eLTM) rather than being maintained during the activity-silent period. Here, we tested between these possibilities by examining whether performance showed proactive interference (PI)—a hallmark retrieval eLTM—following such interruptions. Participants remembered colors (Experiments 1–3) or locations (Experiment 4) serially presented objects. We found PI set sizes larger 4, but not smaller sizes, suggesting eLTM may have supported when capacity was exceeded. Critically, with small remained resistant PI, even following prolonged challenging distractor task. Thus, PI-resistant memories were across likely storage-related an empirical pattern implies WM.

Language: Английский

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Changes in behavioral priority influence the accessibility of working memory content

NeuroImage, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 272, P. 120055 - 120055

Published: March 30, 2023

Evolving behavioral goals require the existence of selection mechanisms that prioritize task-relevant working memory (WM) content for action. Selecting an item stored in WM is known to blunt and/or reverse information loss stimulus-specific representations reconstructed from human brain activity, but extant studies have focused on all-or-none circumstances allow or disallow agent select one several items WM. Conversely, suggest humans can flexibly assign different levels priority WM, how doing so influences neural unclear. One possibility assigning quality those representations, resulting more robust high- vs. low-priority content. A second – and non-exclusive asymmetries influence rapidly be selected reported. We tested these possibilities two experiments by decoding EEG recordings obtained while volunteers performed a retrospectively cued task. Probabilistic changes relevance remembered had no effect our ability decode it signals; instead, influenced latency at which above-chance performance was reached. Thus, results indicate probabilistic ease with memories independently their strength.

Language: Английский

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The role of recollection and familiarity in visual working memory: A mixture of threshold and signal detection processes.

Psychological Review, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 131(2), P. 321 - 348

Published: June 15, 2023

Whether working memory reflects a thresholded recollection process whereby only limited number of items are maintained in memory, or signal detection which each studied item is increased familiarity strength, topic considerable debate. A review visual studies that have examined receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) across broad set materials and test conditions indicates

Language: Английский

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Reactivating and reorganizing activity-silent working memory: two distinct mechanisms underlying pinging the brain

Cerebral Cortex, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 5, 2025

Recent studies have proposed that visual information in working memory (WM) can be maintained an activity-silent state and reactivated by task-irrelevant high-contrast impulses ("ping"). Although pinging the brain has become a popular tool for exploring WM, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In current study, we directly compared neural reactivation effects behavioral consequences of spatial-nonmatching spatial-matching pings to distinguish noise-reduction target-interaction hypotheses brain. Initially, electroencephalogram our decoding results showed WM transiently without changing original representations or recall performance. Conversely, more durably further reorganized decreasing representations' dynamics. Notably, only strength correlated with performance was modulated location memorized items, occurring when both items were presented horizontally. Consistently, follow-up found spatial-matching, horizontal impaired no ping. Together, demonstrated two distinct brain, highlighting critical role ping's context (i.e. spatial information) reactivating reorganizing WM.

Language: Английский

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Constraints on multi-item working memory access: performance costs and retrieval dynamics

Frontiers in Psychology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 16

Published: April 9, 2025

To support goal-directed behavior, working memory (WM) must flexibly access relevant information. While the mechanisms underlying single-item WM are comparatively well-studied, less is known about principles governing multi-item access. Some studies have suggested that dual-item retrieval can be as efficient access, but it remains unclear whether this reflects reduced inhibitory demands or truly parallel, cost-free retrieval. In Experiment 1, we manipulated number of vs. irrelevant items in a pre-and retro-cuing task. The rationale was if benefit then having fewer to suppress would enhance performance. Instead, found selecting two out three slower and accurate than one, arguing against idea diminished inhibition underlies efficiency. Experiments 2a 2b further probed efficiency using modified dual-access paradigm leveraged object repetition benefits. By including control condition prevent temporal associations between repeated targets non-targets, observed benefits for each item were additive-consistent with serial limited parallel retrieval-rather overadditive, which expected under fully These findings clarify key limitations WM, important implications complex tasks such language comprehension, decision-making, problem solving.

Language: Английский

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