Central Executive and Target Selection in Visual Working Memory

Abstract The goal of this study was to investigate if the selection external information for storage in visual working memory requires control by central executive when categorization targets is guided instructions. design experimental 3 (concurrent task) x 2 (instruction). Forty-eight university students saw eight colored shapes, four them surrounded square outlines. Memory assessed using a recognition task. Targets varied with instructions: were presented within squares first block and outside second block. There three concurrent tasks: no task, articulatory suppression, backward counting. Performance measured hits, false alarms, corrected recognition, sensitivity (A’), compared within-subject ANOVAs. Results showed main effect only lower performance counting condition all measures. These results suggest that does not perceptual filter, corroborating earlier results.