Guided search through memory

ABSTRACT

In “hybrid” search, observers search a visual display for any of several targets held in memory. It is known that the contents of the memory set can guide visual search (e.g., if the memorized targets are all animals, visual attention can be guided away from signs). It is not known if the visual display can guide memory search (e.g., if the memory set is composed of signs and animals, can a visual display of signs restrict memory search to just the signs?). In three hybrid search experiments, participants memorized sets of items that belonged to either one or several categories. Participants were then presented with visual displays containing multiple items, also drawn from one or several categories. Participants were asked to determine if any of the items from their current memory set were present in the visual display. We replicate the finding that visual search can be guided by the contents of memory. We find weaker, novel evidence that memory search can be guided by the contents of the visual display.

KEYWORDS:

• Memory search
• visual search
• visual attention
• categories
• attentional selection

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

ORCID

Maria Nordfang http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2183-0447

Notes

1 Many of the drawings were found on the internet at www.shapes4free and http://lukeroberts.deviantart.com/art/.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Army Research Office [Grant Number R00000000000588]; Foundation for the National Institutes of Health [Grant Number EY017001]; The Danish Council for Independent Research [Grant Number 0602-02587B].