Spatial Configuration Effects on the Dissociation between Active and Latent States in Visual Working Memory

Visual working memory includes both active, recallable items and latent items not directly available for recall. During the online manipulation of active working memory, latent items gain robust retention. According to the dissociation account, active and passive memories exist in independent states, both of which take up their own cognitive resources. However, it is unclear whether dissociation is a universal phenomenon during memory maintenance. Given that memory information is retained as a binding of identity and location, the spatial proximity of memory items might shield the dissociation property. To test this, we adopted a retro-cue memory task where the cued and uncued items were separated in the active and latent states. In Experiment 1, the memory items were presented at a relatively large spatial distance. The results supported the dissociation account for well-separated items. However, Experiment 2 rejected the dissociation for closer-in items, possibly because items in visual working memory were spatially labeled. These findings suggest that while memory maintenance generally conforms to the dissociation account, the spatial configuration of memory items can affect the dissociation property between the active and latent neural states in visual working memory.