Datos de investigación
Throwing to Memorized Locations: Distinguishing Transposition and Spatial Errors in Spatial Memory
Publicador:
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Fecha de depósito:
07/07/2025
Fecha de recolección:
01/08/2024-02/03/2025
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
Most studies of visuospatial short-term memory (VSSTM) are conducted on vertical screens using simplified tasks such as change detection, sequence recall, or pointing to memorized positions. In contrast, this study examines VSSTM in a more naturalistic, three-dimensional context, where participants performed goal-directed throwing actions toward stimuli projected on the floor within a 260 × 183 cm area. We conducted four experiments to investigate how different memory demands affect throwing accuracy, and developed a method to isolate errors of serial order from pure spatial localization errors, allowing for a detailed analysis of their respective contributions. In Experiment 1, when participants had to recall both the order and location of six sequentially presented targets, accuracy followed the characteristic inverted U-shaped serial position curve, driven by a combination of spatial and order-related errors. Experiment 2, in which spatial uncertainty was minimized by displaying target locations during recall, showed a remarkable decrease in order errors, particularly for the two first and last elements, highlighting an interaction between spatial and sequential processes. In Experiment 3, where participants only had to recall item-location associations without maintaining order, spatial errors were greatly reduced, and transposition errors decreased for the most recent items. Experiment 4 eliminated serial demands entirely by presenting stimuli simultaneously and varying memory load (N). Results revealed that both spatial and transposition errors increased with N, diverging from one another starting at N = 3, thus demonstrating the separable impact of each source of error. Overall, these findings provide new behavioral evidence for the multiplicity of error sources in VSSTM and offer a methodological framework to decompose performance into distinct cognitive components, aligning with probabilistic models of memory.
Información Técnica
General Methods: In this research, we employed the paradigm of indirect position indication by employing throwing as a means to gauge the participants’ perceived location. These methods were used in previous studies to minimize the influence of prior knowledge on distance judgments, as often encountered in verbal estimation tasks (Barraza et al., 2024; Loomis & Philbeck, 2008; Pan et al., 2014). Stimuli: The stimuli consisted of colored solid circles (red, green, blue, yellow, purple, and white) projected onto the floor using an Epson EB-X06 projector. The areas of the circles were controlled to be identical so that the only difference between them was the color. Each stimulus had a diameter of 18 cm, and their contrast was well above the detection threshold. The discs were presented within a 260 cm (length) x 183 cm (width) rectangular area on the floor, divided into a 3 x 3 invisible grid of equally sized cells (each 87 x 61 cm) (please, see Figure 1). To prevent overlap and ensure clear disc discrimination, each of the 6 discs was randomly placed in a distinct cell, leaving 3 cells unoccupied. Materials: We used the following materials to conduct the experiments: 1) Sandbags: The bags were made of non-slip black fabric, weighing approximately 20 grams. Each bag was numbered for identification during data collection. 2) Experimental environment: The experiments were conducted in a completely dark room specifically prepared for this purpose. The floor was painted matte black, and the space was enclosed by black curtains to minimize visual and auditory distractions. The only source of illumination was the projection of stimuli onto the floor. Figure 1. Schematic of the experimental layout. Procedure: This study comprised four experiments designed to examine the effects of VSSTM on the accuracy of throws toward spatial stimuli projected on the ground. The first three experiments shared a common procedure, similar to that used by Farrand et al. (2001) in their first experiment, but instead of pointing with their finger at the spot where the stimulus had appeared on the screen, in this case, participants had to throw bags as accurately as possible towards the spots where the stimuli had been presented on the floor. All stimuli, except in the last experiment, were shown sequentially, and the independent variable in these experiments was the serial order. Each trial followed a fixed temporal structure. The six colored discs presented sequentially on the floor, were visible for 800 ms each, and separated by 800 ms inter-stimulus intervals, resulting in a total presentation time of 8800 ms. After the last stimulus disappeared, participants were given 5 seconds to retain the sequence and then, throw the six numbered bags toward the remembered positions (Experiments 1 and 2) following the original order of presentation, or one bag to the cued position, in the third experiment. Once all throws were completed, a new stimulus was presented to prompt an additional task, a self-report of perceived transposition errors, using the original disc positions. The experimenters then measured the distance between each target and the corresponding bag's landing point. This measured distance was considered the throwing error. It is important to note that these errors are absolute and, therefore, always positive. After completing these measurements, the next trial began following a signal given by the experimenter. In contrast, in the fourth experiment, several stimuli varying randomly between 1 and 6 elements were presented simultaneously on the floor across trials. The stimulus display lasted 800 ms, followed by a 5-second retention interval. Then, a single-color cue was projected onto the floor for 400 ms, indicating which of the previously presented items was the target. The bags were sorted and delivered by a dispenser to prevent participants from being distracted while retrieving them or making errors in selecting the correct bag. Each experiment was controlled by a custom Python script that managed stimulus presentation with high precision regarding size, color, order, and duration. The script also stored all trial data, including stimulus order, test selection, and projection timing. Participants: A total of 36 students of different genders (13 female / 23 male), aged between 18 and 30 years, participated in the study. All participants were engaged in non-professional practice of sports (softball or basketball). This criterion was included to ensure a certain degree of homogeneity in the motor experience of the participant group. None of the participants reported neurological or visual conditions that could interfere with their performance. All participants took part voluntarily and provided informed consent.
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Datos de Investigación(ILAV)
Datos de Investigación de INST.DE INVESTIGACION EN LUZ, AMBIENTE Y VISION
Datos de Investigación de INST.DE INVESTIGACION EN LUZ, AMBIENTE Y VISION
Citación
Rosales, Hernán; Barraza, Jose Fernando; (2025): Throwing to Memorized Locations: Distinguishing Transposition and Spatial Errors in Spatial Memory. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. (dataset). http://hdl.handle.net/11336/265393
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