Revue internationale de psychologie scolaire et cognitive
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Are Change Detection Tasks Visual Specific in Nature? An Investigation of Dual Task Methods

Laura Jenkins and Colin Hamilton

More recent working memory models consider visual representations constrained within components of the visual-specific architecture. However, in the visual patterns test, a multi-component approach with multiple can be used due to the use of verbal and semantic processing abilities within the task. The current investigation aimed to identify the extent to which visual and verbal types of information can contribute to visual working memory representation use. Within 2 experiments, 30 participants (5 males, 25 females) were used in an experiment where a dual task methodology was deployed, consisting of interference tasks presented during the 4 second maintenance phase of the procedure of the primary visual memory tasks. Results of these investigations indicated that a change in the conventional visual-specific approach may now be accepted with verbal interference effects being present in all primary change detection protocol tasks. The results will be discussed in the context of theoretical perspectives which emphasize modality specific nature of representation use versus multi-component perspectives which suggest a more domain general semantic strategy use.