A Note on the Identification of Change Detection Task Models to Measure Storage Capacity and Attention in Visual Working Memory

Overview

Journal Behav Res Methods

Publisher Springer

Specialty Social Sciences

Date 2018 Aug 5

PMID 30076533

Citations 6

Authors

Leah M Feuerstahler

Steven J Luck

Angus MacDonald 3rd

Niels G Waller

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The change detection task is a common method for assessing the storage capacity of working memory, but estimates of memory capacity from this task can be distorted by lapses of attention. When combined with appropriate mathematical models, some versions of the change detection task make it possible to separately estimate working memory and the probability of attentional lapses. In principle, these models should allow researchers to isolate the effects of experimental manipulations, group differences, and individual differences on working memory capacity and on the rate of attentional lapses. However, the present research found that two variants of a widely accepted model of the change detection task are not mathematically identified.

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