Sequential dynamics of memory load: contralateral delay activity and behavioral evidence
Fecha
2026-04-14
Nota de Acceso
El artículo completo no puede ser publicado en el Repositorio Institucional debido a los permisos de copyright definidos por la editorial publicadora. Ingrese a través del DOI.
Fecha de embargo
Profe guía
Perfil ORCID
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Wolters Kluwer Health
ISBN
ISSN
0959-4965
ISSNe
1473-558X
Resumen
Background Working memory is a fundamental component of human cognition, essential for performing complex tasks that require holding and manipulating information. Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) enables the temporary retention of visual and spatial information, with its neural correlates, such as contralateral delay activity (CDA, a component of event-related potentials), providing insights into memory load dynamics. This study aimed to investigate how sequentially presented items are maintained and integrated into VSWM.
Methods Twenty-three participants performed a task where three visual items were presented sequentially, followed by a retro-cue and a test array, while accuracy and CDA were measured.
Results Behavioral results showed significant differences in accuracy across item positions, with the third item yielding the lowest accuracy. Electrophysiological findings revealed that CDA amplitude was more negative for the second item, suggesting greater cognitive resources were allocated to it compared to the first and third items. Correlations between working memory capacity, task performance, and CDA amplitudes suggest that individuals with higher working memory capacity can better adapt resource distribution to handle sequential information processing, particularly under conditions of increased cognitive load.
Conclusion These results suggest that VSWM management involves dynamic, nonuniform allocation of cognitive resources influenced by the serial position of items. These insights expand our understanding of how VSWM processes sequential inputs and may inform future studies on optimizing cognitive strategies for tasks involving complex visual and spatial information.
Descripción
Lugar de Publicación
Estados Unidos
Sponsorship
Citación
NeuroReport, Vol. 37, N° 9 (2026) pp. 341-350.
Palabras clave
event-related potentials, memory load, sequential processing, short-term memory, working memory capacity
Licencia
Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 3.0 Chile (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 CL)