| Memory for multiple visual ensembles in infancy. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21355663 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The number of individual items that can be maintained in working memory is limited. One solution to this problem is to store representations of ensembles that contain summary information about large numbers of items (e.g., the approximate number or cumulative area of a group of many items). Here we explored the developmental origins of ensemble representations by asking whether infants represent ensembles and, if so, how many at one time. We habituated 9-month-old infants to arrays containing 2, 3, or 4 spatially intermixed colored subsets of dots, then asked whether they detected a numerical change to one of the subsets or to the superset of all dots. Experiment Series 1 showed that infants detected a numerical change to 1 of the subsets when the array contained 2 subsets but not 3 or 4 subsets. Experiment Series 2 showed that infants detected a change to the superset of all dots no matter how many subsets were presented. Experiment 3 showed that infants represented both the approximate number and the cumulative surface area of these ensembles. Our results suggest that infants, like adults (Halberda, Sires, & Feigenson, 2006), can store quantitative information about 2 subsets plus the superset: a total of 3 ensembles. This converges with the known limit on the number of individual objects infants and adults can store and suggests that, throughout development, an ensemble functions much like an individual object for working memory. |
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Authors:
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Jennifer M Zosh; Justin Halberda; Lisa Feigenson |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of experimental psychology. General Volume: 140 ISSN: 1939-2222 ISO Abbreviation: J Exp Psychol Gen Publication Date: 2011 May |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-05-03 Completed Date: 2011-09-08 Revised Date: 2012-09-24 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7502587 Medline TA: J Exp Psychol Gen Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 141-58 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, Brandywine, Media, PA, 19063 USA. jzosh@psu.edu |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Attention* Child Psychology* Color Perception* Concept Formation Discrimination (Psychology)* Female Humans Infant Male Mathematics* Memory, Short-Term* Pattern Recognition, Visual* |
| Grant Support | |
ID/Acronym/Agency:
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R01 HD057258-01A2/HD/NICHD NIH HHS |
| Comments/Corrections | |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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