The Role of Semantic Probes in VWM Retrieval: Exp3

Chung (2024). reported that color task performance improves when color is encoded as part of a meaningful shape. This finding suggests that the semantic meaning of an object may function as a scaffold for remembering its visual features. However, the precise mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. In particular, it is not yet well understood which stage of the memory process (encoding, maintenance, or retrieval) plays a central role in producing this advantage. The present study aims to investigate the mechanism underlying this effect by manipulating the properties of the probe presented at retrieval. Specifically, we manipulate the degree to which the retrieval probe corresponds to the stored object representation in order to examine how integrated color–shape representations contribute to the retrieval process.