ABSTRACT

Perception is shaped by actions, which determine the allocation of selective attention across the visual field. Here, we review evidence that maintenance in visual working memory is similarly influenced by actions (eye or hand movements), planned and executed well after encoding: Representations that are relevant for an upcoming action – because they spatially correspond to the action goal or because they are defined along action-related feature dimensions – are automatically prioritised over action-irrelevant representations and held in a stable state. We summarise what is known about specific characteristics and mechanisms of selection-for-action in working memory, such as its temporal dynamics and spatial specificity, and delineate open questions. This newly-burgeoning area of research promotes a more functional perspective on visual working memory that emphasizes its role in action control.

摘要

感知是由动作决定的，这些动作决定了选择性注意在整个视野中的分配。在这里，我们回顾了证据，表明视觉工作记忆的维护同样受动作（眼睛或手部动作）的影响，这些动作在编码后计划并执行得很好：与即将发生的动作相关的表示–因为它们在空间上对应于动作目标，或者因为沿与动作相关的特征维度进行定义–自动优先于与动作无关的表示，并保持稳定状态。我们总结了有关工作记忆的特定特征和作用选择机制的已知知识，例如其时间动态和空间特异性，并描述了未解决的问题。