Evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study

Abstract The capacity of visual working memory (VWM) is found to be extremely limited. Past research shows that VWM can be facilitated by Gestalt principles of grouping, however, it remains controversial whether factors like the type of Gestalt principles, the characteristics of stimuli and the natu...

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Autores principales:	Jiaofeng Li, Jiehui Qian, Fan Liang
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2018
Materias:	Illusory Contours Visual Working Memory (VWM) Perceptual Grouping Display Memory Grouping Relevant Feature Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/0d75998f15be4f09ba0a7209807890de
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:0d75998f15be4f09ba0a7209807890de2021-12-02T15:08:49ZEvidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study10.1038/s41598-018-32039-42045-2322https://doaj.org/article/0d75998f15be4f09ba0a7209807890de2018-09-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32039-4https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract The capacity of visual working memory (VWM) is found to be extremely limited. Past research shows that VWM can be facilitated by Gestalt principles of grouping, however, it remains controversial whether factors like the type of Gestalt principles, the characteristics of stimuli and the nature of experimental design could affect the beneficial effect of grouping. In particular, studies have shown that perceptual grouping could improve memory performance for a feature that is relevant for grouping, but it is unclear whether the same improvement exists for a feature that is irrelevant for grouping. In this article, an empirical study and a meta-analytic study were conducted to investigate the effect of perceptual grouping on VWM. In the empirical study, we examined the grouping effect by employing a Kanizsa illusion in which memory items were grouped by illusory contour. We found that the memory performance was improved for the grouped items even though the tested feature was grouping irrelevant, and the improvement was not significantly different from the effect of grouping by physical connectedness or by solid occlusion. In the meta-analytic study, we systematically and quantitatively examined the effect of perceptual grouping on VWM by pulling the results from all eligible studies, and found that the beneficial grouping effect was robust but the magnitude of the effect can be affected by several moderators. Factors like the types of grouping methods, the duration and the layout of the memory display, and the characteristics of the tested feature moderated the grouping effect, whereas whether employing a cue or a verbal suppression task did not. Our study suggests that the underlying mechanism of the grouping benefit may be distinct with regard to grouping relevancy of the to-be-stored feature. The grouping effect on VWM may be independent of attention for a grouping relevant feature, but may rely on attentional prioritization for a grouping irrelevant feature.Jiaofeng LiJiehui QianFan LiangNature PortfolioarticleIllusory ContoursVisual Working Memory (VWM)Perceptual GroupingDisplay MemoryGrouping Relevant FeatureMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 8, Iss 1, Pp 1-20 (2018)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Illusory Contours Visual Working Memory (VWM) Perceptual Grouping Display Memory Grouping Relevant Feature Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Illusory Contours Visual Working Memory (VWM) Perceptual Grouping Display Memory Grouping Relevant Feature Medicine R Science Q Jiaofeng Li Jiehui Qian Fan Liang Evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study
description	Abstract The capacity of visual working memory (VWM) is found to be extremely limited. Past research shows that VWM can be facilitated by Gestalt principles of grouping, however, it remains controversial whether factors like the type of Gestalt principles, the characteristics of stimuli and the nature of experimental design could affect the beneficial effect of grouping. In particular, studies have shown that perceptual grouping could improve memory performance for a feature that is relevant for grouping, but it is unclear whether the same improvement exists for a feature that is irrelevant for grouping. In this article, an empirical study and a meta-analytic study were conducted to investigate the effect of perceptual grouping on VWM. In the empirical study, we examined the grouping effect by employing a Kanizsa illusion in which memory items were grouped by illusory contour. We found that the memory performance was improved for the grouped items even though the tested feature was grouping irrelevant, and the improvement was not significantly different from the effect of grouping by physical connectedness or by solid occlusion. In the meta-analytic study, we systematically and quantitatively examined the effect of perceptual grouping on VWM by pulling the results from all eligible studies, and found that the beneficial grouping effect was robust but the magnitude of the effect can be affected by several moderators. Factors like the types of grouping methods, the duration and the layout of the memory display, and the characteristics of the tested feature moderated the grouping effect, whereas whether employing a cue or a verbal suppression task did not. Our study suggests that the underlying mechanism of the grouping benefit may be distinct with regard to grouping relevancy of the to-be-stored feature. The grouping effect on VWM may be independent of attention for a grouping relevant feature, but may rely on attentional prioritization for a grouping irrelevant feature.
format	article
author	Jiaofeng Li Jiehui Qian Fan Liang
author_facet	Jiaofeng Li Jiehui Qian Fan Liang
author_sort	Jiaofeng Li
title	Evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study
title_short	Evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study
title_full	Evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study
title_fullStr	Evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study
title_full_unstemmed	Evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study
title_sort	evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2018
url	https://doaj.org/article/0d75998f15be4f09ba0a7209807890de
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Evidence for the beneficial effect of perceptual grouping on visual working memory: an empirical study on illusory contour and a meta-analytic study

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