Feature-based versus object-based representation in visual working memory.

This research paper investigates whether the features of objects maintained in visual working memory (WM) are represented in a dependent or independent manner. Across five experiments, the researchers presented multifeature objects (color and shape) and analyzed the continuous response distribution to determine the relationship between remembering one feature and the other. Consistently, the findings showed strong evidence for a dependency between the object's features, supporting the conclusion that visual WM relies on object-based representations where all features are represented in a dependent manner. This challenges the prevailing view and offers new insights into the fundamental mechanisms underlying visual working memory. The study's robust methodology and diverse experimental conditions strengthen the reliability and generalizability of the results, though further research is needed to explore the broader implications of this discovery.