Dr. rer. nat. Anna Heuer
Profil
Forschungsthemen3
Die Funktion (raum-)zeitlichen Kontextes im visuellen Arbeitsgedächtnis
Quelle ↗Förderer: DFG Sachbeihilfe Zeitraum: 05/2022 - 12/2025 Projektleitung: Prof. Dr. phil. Martin Rolfs, Dr. rer. nat. Anna Heuer
Die Repräsentation der zeitlichen Struktur visueller Ereignisse im Arbeitsgedächtnis und ihre Nutzung für die Fokussierung von Gedächtnisinhalten
Quelle ↗Förderer: DFG Sachbeihilfe Zeitraum: 01/2019 - 12/2021 Projektleitung: Prof. Dr. phil. Martin Rolfs, Dr. rer. nat. Anna Heuer
Die Repräsentation der zeitlichen Struktur visueller Ereignisse im Arbeitsgedächtnis und ihre Nutzung für die Fokussierung von Gedächtnisinhalten
Quelle ↗Förderer: DFG Eigene Stelle (Sachbeihilfe) Zeitraum: 09/2018 - 11/2021 Projektleitung: Dr. rer. nat. Anna Heuer, Prof. Dr. phil. Martin Rolfs
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Publikationen25
Top 25 nach Zitationen — Quelle: OpenAlex (BAAI/bge-m3 embedded für Matching).
Visual Cognition · 82 Zitationen · DOI
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.
Memory & Cognition · 51 Zitationen · DOI
Journal of Behavioral Addictions · 43 Zitationen · DOI
This pattern of results indicates that the disengagement of attention from computer-related stimuli is impaired in IGD. More generally, our findings demonstrate that conditioning processes occur in IGD, and thus open up new avenues for treatment.
PLoS ONE · 42 Zitationen · DOI
Visual working memory can be modulated according to changes in the cued task relevance of maintained items. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying this modulation. In particular, we studied the consequences of attentional selection for selected and unselected items, and the role of individual differences in the efficiency with which attention is deployed. To this end, performance in a visual working memory task as well as the CDA/SPCN and the N2pc, ERP components associated with visual working memory and attentional processes, were analysed. Selection during the maintenance stage was manipulated by means of two successively presented retrocues providing spatial information as to which items were most likely to be tested. Results show that attentional selection serves to robustly protect relevant representations in the focus of attention while unselected representations which may become relevant again still remain available. Individuals with larger retrocueing benefits showed higher efficiency of attentional selection, as indicated by the N2pc, and showed stronger maintenance-associated activity (CDA/SPCN). The findings add to converging evidence that focused representations are protected, and highlight the flexibility of visual working memory, in which information can be weighted according its relevance.
Psychological Research · 40 Zitationen · DOI
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · 34 Zitationen · DOI
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · 31 Zitationen · DOI
The limited capacity of visual working memory (VWM) necessitates attentional mechanisms that selectively update and maintain only the most task-relevant content. Psychophysical experiments have shown that the retroactive selection of memory content can be based on visual properties such as location or shape, but the neural basis for such differential selection is unknown. For example, it is not known if there are different cortical modules specialized for spatial vs. feature-based mnemonic attention, in the same way that has been demonstrated for attention to perceptual input. Here, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to identify areas in human parietal and occipital cortex involved in the selection of objects from memory based on cues to their location (spatial information) or their shape (featural information). We found that TMS over the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) selectively facilitated spatial selection, whereas TMS over the lateral occipital cortex (LO) selectively enhanced feature-based selection for remembered objects in the contralateral visual field. Thus, different cortical regions are responsible for spatial vs. feature-based selection of working memory representations. Since the same regions are involved in terms of attention to external events, these new findings indicate overlapping mechanisms for attentional control over perceptual input and mnemonic representations.
Memory & Cognition · 30 Zitationen · DOI
Cognition · 28 Zitationen · DOI
Separate and combined effects of action relevance and motivational value on visual working memory
2018Journal of Vision · 24 Zitationen · DOI
Visual working memory contents can be selectively weighted according to differences in their task-relevance. In the present study, we examined the influence of two more indirect selection biases established by a concurrent task or learned reward associations: action relevance and motivational value. In three experiments, memory performance was assessed with the same color change detection task. Potential action relevance and motivational value were each determined by a specific feature of the memory items (location or shape, respectively) and manipulated orthogonally. Investigated separately (Experiments 1A and 1B), both selection biases modulated visual working memory. In combination (Experiment 2), action relevance and motivational value still each exerted an influence, but not in a fully independent and additive manner. While action relevance impacted performance irrespective of the reward associated with the items, an effect of motivational value was only observed for action-relevant items. These results support the notion that visual working memory is automatically biased as an inherent part of action planning. More generally, these findings highlight the versatile nature of visual working memory: Contents can be flexibly weighted to reflect differences in their importance, taking into account several sources of information.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · 18 Zitationen · DOI
Different visual attributes effectively guide attention to specific items in visual working memory (VWM), ensuring that particularly important memory contents are readily available. Predictable temporal structures contribute to this efficient use of VWM: items are prospectively prioritized when they are expected to be needed. Occasionally, however, visual events only gain relevance through their timing after they have passed. We investigated retrospective attentional orienting based on temporal position by directly comparing it with orienting to spatial locations, which is typically considered the most powerful selection mechanism. In a colour-change-detection task, in which items appeared sequentially at different locations, symbolic number cues validly indicated the temporal or spatial location of the upcoming probe item either before encoding (precues; Experiment 1) or during maintenance (retrocues; Experiments 1-3). Temporal and spatial cues were physically identical and only differed in their mapping onto either temporal or spatial positions. Predictive cues yielded cueing benefits (i.e., higher accuracy and shorter reaction times) as compared with neutral cues, with larger benefits for precues than for retrocues. Importantly, spatial and temporal cueing benefits did not differ. Equivalent retrocueing benefits were also observed across different cue-probe intervals and irrespective of whether spatial or temporal position was used as retrieval cue, indicating that items were directly bound to temporal position and not prioritized via a space-based mechanism. These findings show that spatial and temporal properties can be used equally well to flexibly prioritise representations held in VWM and they highlight the functional similarities of space and time in VWM.
Scientific Reports · 14 Zitationen · DOI
Positive outcome of actions can be maximized by choosing the option with the highest reward. For saccades, it has recently been suggested that the necessity to choose is, in fact, an important factor mediating reward effects: latencies to single low-reward targets increased with an increasing proportion of interleaved choice-trials, in which participants were free to choose between two targets to obtain either a high or low reward. Here, we replicate this finding for manual responses, demonstrating that this effect of choice is a more general, effector-independent phenomenon. Oscillatory activity in the alpha and beta band in the preparatory period preceding target onset was analysed for a parieto-occipital and a centrolateral region of interest to identify an anticipatory neural biasing mechanism related to visuospatial attention or motor preparation. When the proportion of interleaved choices was high, an increase in lateralized posterior alpha power indicated that the hemifield associated with a low reward was suppressed in preparation for reward-maximizing target selection. The larger the individual increase in lateralized alpha power, the slower the reaction times to low-reward targets. At a broader level, these findings support the notion that reward only affects responses when behaviour can be optimized to maximize positive outcome.
Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition · 12 Zitationen · DOI
Natural environments provide a rich spatiotemporal context that allows for visual objects to be differentiated based on different types of information: their absolute or relative spatial or temporal coordinates, or their ordinal positions in a spatial or temporal sequence. Here, we investigated which spatial and temporal properties are incidentally encoded along with to-be-remembered features to provide reference frames in visual working memory (VWM). We tested the different possibilities in a spatiotemporal color change-detection task by transforming spatial and/or temporal structures of item presentation at retrieval relative to encoding. More precisely, spatial and/or temporal coordinates were (a) switched, changing the order of items in a spatial or temporal sequence (ordinal transformation); (b) multiplied by different factors, changing interitem distances (relational transformation); or (c) multiplied by a constant factor, expanding or shrinking the entire configuration (global transformation). Such transformations of the external reference frame at retrieval should only interfere with VWM if the internal reference frame relies on the spatial or temporal properties affected by the respective transformation. We found that ordinal and relational transformations of either the spatial or temporal structure impaired performance, whereas global transformations did not. Thus, reference frames appear to be primarily defined by interitem relations-including relative distances between items as well as their order-rather than absolute positions in space or time. These results corroborate and extend previous findings for the spatial domain, and highlight functional similarities of the spatial and temporal dimensions in VWM by revealing the same metrical properties for temporal reference frames. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Scientific Reports · 11 Zitationen · DOI
When humans have to choose between different options, they can maximize their payoff by choosing the option that yields the highest reward. Information about reward is not only used to optimize decisions but also for movement preparation to minimize reaction times to rewarded targets. Here, we show that this is especially true in contexts in which participants additionally have to choose between different options. We probed eye movement preparation by measuring saccade latencies to differently rewarded single targets (single-trial) appearing left or right from fixation. In choice-trials, both targets were displayed and participants were free to decide for one target to receive the corresponding reward. In blocks without choice-trials, single-trial latencies were not or only weakly affected by reward. With choice-trials present, the influence of reward increased with the proportion and difficulty of choices and decreased when a cue indicated that no choice will be necessary. Choices caused a delay in subsequent single-trial responses to the non-chosen option. Taken together, our results suggest that reward affects saccade preparation mainly when the outcome is uncertain and depends on the participants' behavior, for instance when they have to choose between targets differing in reward.
Scientific Reports · 5 Zitationen · DOI
When making decisions, humans can maximize the positive outcome of their actions by choosing the option associated with the highest reward. We have recently shown that choices modulate effects of reward via a bias in spatial attention: Locations associated with a lower reward are anticipatorily suppressed, as indicated by delayed responses to low-reward targets and increased parieto-occipital alpha power. Here, we investigated whether this inhibition also occurs when reward is not coupled to location but to a nonspatial feature (color). We analyzed reaction times to single targets associated with a low or high reward as a function of whether a second trial type, choice-trials, were interleaved. In choice-trials, participants could choose either one of two targets to obtain the associated reward. Indeed, responses to low-reward targets were slower when choice-trials were present, magnifying the influence of reward, and this delay was more pronounced in trials immediately following a choice. No corresponding changes in parieto-occipital alpha power were observed, but the behavioral findings suggest that choices modulate a reward-related bias in feature-based attention in a similar manner as for spatial attention, and support the idea that reward primarily affects behaviour when it is of immediate relevance.
Cognition · 1 Zitationen · DOI
Space and time support visual working memory (VWM) by providing incidental reference frames for task-relevant information. While this has been studied with stationary items, natural scenes also contain moving objects, whose positions change over time, often in a predictable manner. We investigated if predictable item motion is leveraged to facilitate VWM for surface features. In a dynamic change-detection task, participants memorised the colours of three disks moving at constant speed in different directions before disappearing. After a retention interval, the disks reappeared (a) at the movement endpoint locations where they had disappeared (b) at positions spatiotemporally congruent with their previous motion (where they would have been had they continued their movement), (c) at positions with a temporal offset (consistent with a change in speed while out of view) or (d) at positions with a spatial offset (consistent with a change in movement direction). Performance decreased with increasing temporal or spatial offsets relative to congruent positions, indicating that the memorised items' positions were remapped to their anticipated future locations. This updating of positions in spatiotemporal reference frames, however, only occurs if motion extrapolation allows for reliable predictions of where occluded items will reappear. In a task context with unreliable motion patterns, the congruency effect diminished over time and performance instead increased at the movement endpoints. A second experiment confirmed this influence of motion reliability. Thus, predictable motion is extrapolated to update spatiotemporal reference frames in VWM, supporting memory for surface features and thereby contributing to visually guided behavior in dynamic environments.
Journal of Vision · 1 Zitationen · DOI
All natural visual events exhibit a spatiotemporal structure, but our understanding of how temporal aspects are represented lags far behind our understanding of the role of space. Here, we present data indicating that a combination of both the spatial and the temporal structure of visual events provides frames of reference for storage in working memory. In a series of experiments, participants performed a change detection task, for which they memorized colours presented sequentially at different locations and with different stimulus onset asynchronies. Each item could be uniquely identified by its spatial or temporal coordinates, but neither spatial nor temporal information was task-relevant. The key manipulation was that of retrieval context: The test array was identical to the memory array in terms of either its entire spatiotemporal structure, or only its spatial or temporal components. Removing either spatial or temporal information at retrieval impaired performance, indicating that memory relied, at least to some degree, on the spatiotemporal structure in which items were initially perceived. Overall, more weight appeared to be assigned to the spatial structure, but there were pronounced individual differences in the relative weighting of spatial and temporal information, which were fairly consistent throughout and across sessions. Conceivably, these are indicative of stable individual preferences for coding in the spatial or temporal domain. We observed no substantial differences between a randomly interleaved and a blocked variation of retrieval context, suggesting that encoding in a spatiotemporal frame of reference was not strategically adjusted to task demands. However, the inter-item spacing of spatial and temporal structures influenced the relative weighting of spatial and temporal information. Favouring the frame of reference that is more widely spaced presumably facilitates item individuation and thereby access to representations. We propose that time may serve a similar function as space in the architecture of visual working memory.
Attention Perception & Psychophysics · DOI
Avoiding distraction is critical for our ability to focus, and recent years have seen an increased interest in attentional suppression mechanisms. We now know that we implicitly learn about statistical regularities of our environment, which facilitates inhibition, but it remains unclear if distractors can also be suppressed voluntarily when advance information about their occurrence becomes available. Reasoning that such top-down suppression is likely an effortful process requiring a certain degree of motivation, we aimed to show that distractor cueing can effectively reduce distraction when the incentive is high. In an additional singleton search task, we maximized the incentive to suppress by presenting cues that validly indicated the distractor's specific location and colour, and by rewarding successful suppression. For correct responses, participants received either a low or high reward, depending on distractor colour. Responses were faster in trials with predictive cues than in trials with cues that did not provide any information. These cueing benefits increased over the course of the experiment. Reward magnitude also affected reaction times, indicating that high-reward singletons were more distracting, but did not interact with cueing condition. This performance pattern was complemented by modulations of the P<sub>D</sub>, a lateralized event-related potential component reflecting active suppression: Smaller amplitudes, indicating that less suppression was required, were observed for low- versus high-reward distractors and, more importantly, for distractors following predictive versus nonpredictive cues. These findings provide proof-of-principle that salient distractors can be anticipatorily suppressed in a top-down manner and highlight the importance of motivation for this voluntary operation.
Journal of Vision · DOI
Space and time support visual working memory (VWM) by providing reference frames, in which objects are incidentally represented relative to other objects. Whereas this has been shown for stationary items appearing sequentially at different locations, natural scenes also contain moving objects, whose positions change over time, often in a predictable manner. VWM may bridge the gaps when objects temporarily move out of view. Here, we investigated if predictable motion is utilised to facilitate VWM for an object’s surface features – that is, if spatiotemporal reference frames are updated for moving objects. In a dynamic change-detection task, participants memorised the colours of three disks moving at constant speed in different directions before disappearing. After a retention interval, the disks then reappeared (I) at the movement endpoint locations where they had disappeared (II) at positions spatiotemporally congruent with their previous motion direction and speed (i.e., where they would have been had they continued their movement), (III) at positions spatially congruent but with a temporal offset (consistent with a change in speed while the objects were out of view) or (IV) at positions temporally congruent but with a spatial offset (consistent with a change in movement direction). Memory performance decreased with an increasing temporal or spatial offset relative to spatiotemporally congruent positions, indicating that spatiotemporal reference frames incorporated an extrapolation of the memorised objects’ motion to facilitate retrieval. This congruency effect diminished over time, however, in a task context with unreliable motion patterns: When items were likely to reappear at spatiotemporally incongruent positions, performance increased at the movement endpoint locations. Thus, objects’ motion and resulting changes in their configuration can be leveraged to support VWM for surface features, but this updating of spatiotemporal reference frames only occurs if the mental motion extrapolation allows for a reliable prediction of where occluded objects will reappear.
Journal of Vision · DOI
Space and time structure our visual experience, yet little is known about the role of temporal aspects for visual working memory (VWM). We have recently shown that both spatial and temporal properties are incidentally encoded along with to-be-remembered information, providing reference frames for storage and retrieval. In our prior work, we used rich spatiotemporal contexts, as they might be encountered in natural environments: Memory contents could be differentiated based on (a) absolute spatial/temporal coordinates, (b) relative spatial/temporal coordinates, or (c) their position in a categorical spatial/temporal order. The drawback of this approach is that it leaves open the question of specifically which spatiotemporal properties are critical. In a series of experiments, we used a colour change-detection task to test each of these possibilities by transforming spatial and/or temporal structures of item presentation at retrieval relative to encoding. More specifically, spatial and/or temporal coordinates were (a) multiplied by a constant factor, expanding or shrinking the entire configuration (global change), (b) multiplied by different factors, changing relative inter-item distances (relational change), or (c) switched, changing the order of items in a spatial or temporal sequence (ordinal change). Such transformations of the external reference frame at retrieval should only affect performance if the metric of the internal reference frame in VWM is not invariant to this type of transformation. We found that ordinal and relational changes of either the spatial or temporal structure impaired performance, whereas global changes had no effect. Thus, reference frames appear to be established by inter-item relations – including relative distances between items as well as their order – rather than absolute positions in space or time. These results corroborate and extend previous findings for the spatial domain, and highlight functional similarities between the spatial and temporal dimensions by revealing the same metrical properties for temporal reference frames.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · DOI
Dataset from the following publication: Heuer, A., & Schubö, A. (2018). Separate and combined effects of action relevance and motivational value on visual working memory. <em>Journal of Vision, 18</em>, 14.
Figshare · DOI
Dataset from the following publication: Heuer, A., & Schubö, A. (2018). Separate and combined effects of action relevance and motivational value on visual working memory. <em>Journal of Vision, 18</em>, 14.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · DOI
Dataset from the following publication: Heuer, A., & Schubö, A. (2019). Cueing distraction: Electrophysiological evidence for anticipatory active suppression of distractor location. <em>Psychological Research. </em>doi: 10.1007/s00426-019-01211-4.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · DOI
Dataset from the following publication: Heuer, A., Wolf, C., Schütz, A. C., & Schubö, A. (2019). The possibility to make choices modulates feature-based effects of reward. <em>Scientific Reports,</em> 9:5749.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · DOI
Dataset from the following publication: Heuer, A., Wolf, C., Schütz, A. C., & Schubö, A. (2019). The possibility to make choices modulates feature-based effects of reward. <em>Scientific Reports,</em> 9:5749.
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- Name
- Dr. rer. nat. Anna Heuer
- Titel
- Dr. rer. nat.
- Fakultät
- Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät
- Institut
- Institut für Psychologie
- Arbeitsgruppe
- Allgemeine Psychologie - Aktive Wahrnehmung und Kognition (S)
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