持续性视觉注意对视觉工作记忆项目优先加工的影响

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2025.0191

摘要/Abstract

摘要：

采用行为实验、事件相关电位和事件相关光信号联合采集技术, 通过操纵视觉工作记忆(VWM)项目的检测概率变化VWM项目加工的优先性, 探讨持续性视觉注意对VWM项目优先加工的影响是否受到工作记忆资源的调节, 以及VWM项目优先加工的神经基础。行为结果显示, 在VWM保持阶段插入消耗视觉注意的任务, 当优先加工1个项目时, 非优先项目受到干扰, 而优先项目不受影响; 当优先加工2个项目时, 优先与非优先项目均受到干扰。事件相关电位和事件相关光信号结果显示, 在VWM保持阶段, 与无项目优先加工相比, 存在项目优先加工时诱发更大的晚期正成分和负慢波, 更高激活额叶和枕叶。这表明, 持续性视觉注意对VWM项目优先加工的作用受到工作记忆资源的调节, VWM项目优先加工的潜在机制是在保持阶段激活额叶和枕叶, 并投入更多的工作记忆资源, 增强优先项目的表征稳定性。

关键词: 视觉工作记忆, 视觉注意, 优先加工, 事件相关光信号, 联合采集

Abstract:

Individuals prioritize certain important information based on task demands, which facilitates the processing of prioritized Visual Working Memory (VWM) items. However, the role of sustained visual attention in VWM prioritization remains unclear. Some evidence suggests that visual attention is involved in VWM prioritization, while other evidence indicates a dissociation between visual attention and VWM prioritization. Considering the variability in the number of items across VWM tasks in previous studies, this study examined whether the role of sustained visual attention in VWM prioritization was modulated by working memory resources. When working memory resources were insufficient, sustained visual attention was required to maintain the prioritized item, while it was not required when working memory resources were sufficient. Additionally, we investigated the neural basis of VWM prioritization using the simultaneous acquisition technique of event-related potentials and event-related optical signals (ERP-EROS).

Our study included five experiments, with 24, 23, 24, 24, and 17 Chinese participants in Experiments 1a, 1b, 1c, 2, and 3, respectively. In Experiments 1 and 2, a recall report paradigm was used. Participants performed VWM tasks with one prioritized item in Experiment 1 and two prioritized items in Experiment 2. Additionally, across Experiments 1 and 2, participants performed a visual attention task during the VWM maintenance phase. In Experiment 3, we employed a change detection paradigm. Participants completed VWM tasks with no prioritized item and with one prioritized item, and their brain activity under these different prioritization conditions was recorded.

In Experiment 1, participants were instructed to prioritize one VWM item. Visual attention was consumed by single visual attention task (Exp. 1a) and double visual attention task (Exp. 1b). Furthermore, visual attention was consumed by manipulating the durations of task presentation (early vs. late; Exp. 1c). The results consistently indicated that the memory accuracy of non-prioritized items was disrupted by the visual attention task, while the prioritized item remained unaffected. In Experiment 2, participants were required to prioritize two VWM items and performed a single visual attention task. We found that both prioritized and non-prioritized items were disrupted by the visual attention task. Results from Experiment 3 revealed that compared to neutral cues without VWM prioritization, informative cues indicating prioritization of one item elicited a larger late positive component (LPC) and negative slow wave (NSW), as well as higher activation in the prefrontal and occipital cortices during the maintenance phase.

The results indicated that the role of visual attention in VWM prioritization was modulated by working memory resources. When working memory resources were insufficient, sustained visual attention was required to maintain the prioritized item, whereas it was not necessary when working memory resources were sufficient. The neural basis of VWM prioritization likely involves the activation of the frontal and occipital cortices during the maintenance phase, as well as the allocation of more working memory resources to enhance the stability of the representation of the prioritized item. Our study offers a reasonable explanation for the controversy surrounding the role of visual attention in VWM prioritization in previous research. Furthermore, it sheds further light on the neural mechanisms underlying VWM prioritization from a perspective of high temporal and spatial resolution.

Key words: visual working memory, visual attention, prioritization, event-related optical signals, simultaneous acquisition

中图分类号:

B842

连浩敏, 张倩, 谷雪敏, 李寿欣. (2025). 持续性视觉注意对视觉工作记忆项目优先加工的影响. 心理学报, 57(2), 191-206.

LIAN Haomin, ZHANG Qian, GU Xuemin, LI Shouxin. (2025). Influence of sustained visual attention on the prioritization of visual working memory. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 57(2), 191-206.

图/表 15

图1 实验所用刺激材料注: 彩图见电子版, 下同。

图2 实验1a流程示意图注: 前线索上为提示性线索, 下为中性线索; 视觉注意任务上为注视点无变化, 下为注视点发生变化。

图3 实验1a不同条件下的VWM任务正确率注: 图中竖线表示±1个标准差; *表示p < 0.05, **表示p < 0.01

图4 实验1b流程示意图注: 前线索上为提示性线索, 下为中性线索; 视觉注意任务上为注视点无变化, 下为注视点发生变化。

图5 实验1b不同条件下VWM任务的正确率注: 图中竖线表示±1个标准差; *表示p < 0.05

图6 实验1c流程示意图注: 前线索上为提示性线索, 下为中性线索; 视觉注意任务上为早视觉注意任务条件, 下为晚视觉注意任务条件。

图7 实验1c不同条件下VWM任务的正确率注: 图中竖线表示±1个标准差; **表示p < 0.01

图8 实验2流程示意图注: 前线索上为提示性线索, 下为中性线索; 视觉注意任务上为注视点无变化, 下为注视点发生变化。

图9 实验2不同条件下VWM任务的正确率注: 图中竖线表示±1个标准差; **表示p < 0.01; ***表示p < 0.001

图10 实验3流程示意图注: 图中前线索上为提示性线索, 下为中性线索。

图11 实验3中近红外光源和接收器的放置位置图注: 图中黑色圆表示接收器, 白色圆表示光源, 灰色圆表示暂时未使用位置, 黄色表示F3/4、Fc3/4电极点位置, 绿色代表PO7/8 电极点位置。

表1 实验3 VWM任务保持阶段提示线索减中性线索存在更高激活差异的脑区

时间点	脑区	Talairach坐标(x, y, z)	Peak Z	Peak Z(crit)	p
416 ms	额叶	−16, 9, 48	2.35	2.06	0.020
416 ms	枕叶	22, −83, 33	2.30	2.14	0.016
544 ms	额叶	34, −6, 51	2.46	2.44	0.007
608 ms	额叶	34, 37, 33	2.64	2.62	0.004
832 ms	额叶	12, −3, 56	2.38	2.12	0.017
1056 ms	额叶	19, 29, 45	2.27	2.19	0.014
1248 ms	枕叶	7, −83, 32	2.56	2.32	0.010
1280 ms	枕叶	9, −88, 29	3.53	2.48	0.007

图12 实验3提示性线索和中性线索条件下所诱发的LPC 注: 提示性线索条件包括高和低两种检测概率条件, 灰色区域表示记忆项呈现后分析LPC的时间窗口600~800 ms

图13 实验3提示性线索和中性线索所诱发的NSW 注: 提示性线索条件包括高和低两种检测概率条件, 灰色区域表示记忆项呈现后分析NSW的时间窗口800~1200 ms

图14 在VWM保持阶段提示性线索条件减中性线索条件的脑区激活图(记忆项呈现为零点)

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