Visual Memory: The Price of Encoding Details

Studies on visual long-term memory have shown
that we have a tremendous capacity for remembering pictures
of objects, even at a highly detailed level. What remains unclear,
however, is whether encoding objects at such a detailed level
comes at any cost. In the current study, we examined how the
anticipated level of pictorial detail required for a visual objectrecognition
test influences the dynamics of attention and visual
working-memory consolidation for objects shown as a first
target in an attentional blink task. Memory for the objects was
tested at a categorical, exemplar, or state level. Results show
that the anticipation of a more detailed memory test increases
both the allocation of attention during perceptual processing as
well as the duration of working-memory consolidation. Taken
together, these findings highlight the adaptive malleability
of visual memory encoding in anticipation of a more or less
detailed memory test.