Visual working memory for natural scenes: challenges and opportunities.

Visual working memory is a fundamental cognitive process that people use thousands of times each day as they engage in visually guided behavior. Thus, it is important to understand how the natural visual input-which consists of complex, spatially organized, continuously varying features-is represented in visual working memory. However, most research has used arrays of discrete, artificial objects defined by simple features, and existing formal models of visual working memory cannot be applied to natural scenes.

Enhanced Working Memory Representations for Rare Events.

Rare events () produce a variety of enhanced physiological responses relative to frequent events (), including the P3b component of the event-related potential (ERP) waveform. Previous research has suggested that the P3b is related to working memory, which implies that working memory representations will be enhanced for rare stimuli. To test this hypothesis, we devised a modified oddball paradigm in which the target was a disk presented at one of 16 different locations, which were divided into a rare set and a frequent set.

Evaluating the effectiveness of artifact correction and rejection in event-related potential research.

Eyeblinks and other large artifacts can create two major problems in event-related potential (ERP) research, namely confounds and increased noise. Here, we developed a method for assessing the effectiveness of artifact correction and rejection methods in minimizing these two problems. We then used this method to assess a common artifact minimization approach, in which independent component analysis (ICA) is used to correct ocular artifacts, and artifact rejection is used to reject trials with extreme values resulting from other sources (e.

Evaluating the effectiveness of artifact correction and rejection in event-related potential research.

Eyeblinks and other large artifacts can create two major problems in event-related potential (ERP) research, namely confounds and increased noise. Here, we developed a method for assessing the effectiveness of artifact correction and rejection methods at minimizing these two problems. We then used this method to assess a common artifact minimization approach, in which independent component analysis (ICA) is used to correct ocular artifacts, and artifact rejection is used to reject trials with extreme values resulting from other sources (e.

Is covert attention necessary for programming accurate saccades? Evidence from saccade-locked event-related potentials.

For decades, researchers have assumed that shifts of covert attention mandatorily occur prior to eye movements to improve perceptual processing of objects before they are fixated. However, recent research suggests that the N2pc component-a neural measure of covert attentional allocation-does not always precede eye movements. The current study investigated whether the N2pc component mandatorily precedes eye movements and assessed its role in the accuracy of gaze control.