Massive visual long-term memory is largely dependent on meaning

Empirical evidence suggests a massive, perhaps even unbounded capacity of visual long-term memory (LTM), as thousands images can be stored and subsequently recognized with high precision. However, most studies examined massive LTM using meaningful items, therefore, the existence pure that is independent conceptual information remains to determined. In three experiments, participants viewed hundreds then completed test. Three types stimuli were used: real-world objects, lightly-scrambled same fully-scrambled objects. The scrambled versions preserved low-level statistics objects while reducing their semantic meaning. memory-recognition phase, was evaluated 4AFC test included an old image, new two mirror transformations these stimuli. As expected, results revealed superior for compared images. Importantly, there no hint items. Additionally, able distinguish memorized items from mirrored when tested properties much weaker close chance-level stimuli, different than Overall, suggest ‘pure’ quite poor far having capacity. Rather, meaning might critical memorization properties, it may serve "conceptual hook" enables more efficient encoding storage information.