Working Memory Capacity Predicts Serial Dependence for Facial Identity

Poster Session D - Monday, April 15, 2024, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Anette Lidström¹ (anette.lidstrom@psy.lu.se), Inês Bramao¹; ¹Lund University

Serial dependence (SD) occurs when current perceptions are biased towards sensory input from the recent past. The present study investigated whether interindividual differences in working memory (WM) could predict SD in facial identity perception. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to capture early perceptual face processing (N170) and WM processing (frontal negative slow waves) in a combined WM/SD task. Participants (n = 25) retained one or three cartoon faces (low/high WM load) while viewing a real facial image preceded by the presentation of a task-irrelevant face. After a 6 s response delay, participants judged the real face in a matching task, followed by a WM test for the cartoon faces. Participants were divided into two groups according to their WM capacity. For participants with low WM capacity, SD occurred in both low and high WM load conditions, while participants with high WM capacity showed SD only in the high load condition. The EEG results for the task-irrelevant face showed significant differences between the high and low load conditions at both perceptual and WM processing stages. In addition, time-frequency analysis revealed significant modulations in alpha/beta frequencies during the response delay. Crucially, the EEG differences were only observed for participants with high WM capacity, suggesting that it is possible to actively prevent task-irrelevant sensory input from being integrated with goal-relevant percepts when WM is not depleted. Overall, our results show that WM control processes related to inhibition of task-irrelevant information and to selective encoding and maintenance of task-relevant information can predict SD face effects.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Working memory