TY - JOUR
T1 - Categorically Distinct Subsets Allow Flexible Memory Selection in Hybrid Search
AU - Gronau, Nurit
AU - Nartker, Makaela
AU - Yakim, Sharon
AU - Utochkin, Igor
AU - Wolfe, Jeremy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© (2024), (American Psychological Association). All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/11
Y1 - 2024/11
N2 - In many everyday situations, we search our visual surroundings for any one of many memorized items held in memory, a process termed
hybrid search. In some cases, only a portion of the memorized mental list is relevant within a specific visual context, thus, restricting memory search to the relevant subset would be desirable. Previous research had shown that participants largely fail to "partition" memory into several distinct subsets, on a trial-by-trial basis. However, given the known role of semantic content in long-term memory organization, we hypothesized that semantically defined subset categories might serve as a more powerful means for flexible memory selection in dynamic hybrid search situations. Experiment 1 revealed that, indeed, semantic characteristics (i.e., object category), but not perceptual features (e.g., arbitrary color), can provide a firm basis for flexible memory partitioning. Experiments 2 and 3 further showed that such memory partitioning is costless and is independent of the nature of the surrounding visual distractors (i.e., a categorically homogeneous or heterogeneous display). These findings demonstrate that confining one's memory search to a currently relevant subset of items is highly effective when the different memory subsets are defined by clear semantic categories. The results underscore the importance of conceptual information in the organization of
activated long-term memory and in forming the basis for a flexible trial-by-trial memory selection. Our findings further highlight the relationship between visual search and memory search, and they may shed light on the processes contributing to a successful construction of bounded episodes in long-term memory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
AB - In many everyday situations, we search our visual surroundings for any one of many memorized items held in memory, a process termed
hybrid search. In some cases, only a portion of the memorized mental list is relevant within a specific visual context, thus, restricting memory search to the relevant subset would be desirable. Previous research had shown that participants largely fail to "partition" memory into several distinct subsets, on a trial-by-trial basis. However, given the known role of semantic content in long-term memory organization, we hypothesized that semantically defined subset categories might serve as a more powerful means for flexible memory selection in dynamic hybrid search situations. Experiment 1 revealed that, indeed, semantic characteristics (i.e., object category), but not perceptual features (e.g., arbitrary color), can provide a firm basis for flexible memory partitioning. Experiments 2 and 3 further showed that such memory partitioning is costless and is independent of the nature of the surrounding visual distractors (i.e., a categorically homogeneous or heterogeneous display). These findings demonstrate that confining one's memory search to a currently relevant subset of items is highly effective when the different memory subsets are defined by clear semantic categories. The results underscore the importance of conceptual information in the organization of
activated long-term memory and in forming the basis for a flexible trial-by-trial memory selection. Our findings further highlight the relationship between visual search and memory search, and they may shed light on the processes contributing to a successful construction of bounded episodes in long-term memory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
KW - activated long-term memory
KW - categorical processing
KW - hybrid search
KW - memory search
KW - visual search
KW - Visual Perception/physiology
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Young Adult
KW - Memory, Long-Term/physiology
KW - Semantics
KW - Adult
KW - Female
KW - Pattern Recognition, Visual/physiology
KW - Attention/physiology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205347789&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/xlm0001377
DO - 10.1037/xlm0001377
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C2 - 39264674
AN - SCOPUS:85205347789
SN - 0278-7393
VL - 50
SP - 1703
EP - 1721
JO - Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition
JF - Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition
IS - 11
ER -