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Conceptual and Visual Features Contribute to Visual Memory for Natural Images

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  • Gesche M Huebner
  • Karl R Gegenfurtner

Abstract

We examined the role of conceptual and visual similarity in a memory task for natural images. The important novelty of our approach was that visual similarity was determined using an algorithm [1] instead of being judged subjectively. This similarity index takes colours and spatial frequencies into account. For each target, four distractors were selected that were (1) conceptually and visually similar, (2) only conceptually similar, (3) only visually similar, or (4) neither conceptually nor visually similar to the target image. Participants viewed 219 images with the instruction to memorize them. Memory for a subset of these images was tested subsequently. In Experiment 1, participants performed a two-alternative forced choice recognition task and in Experiment 2, a yes/no-recognition task. In Experiment 3, testing occurred after a delay of one week. We analyzed the distribution of errors depending on distractor type. Performance was lowest when the distractor image was conceptually and visually similar to the target image, indicating that both factors matter in such a memory task. After delayed testing, these differences disappeared. Overall performance was high, indicating a large-capacity, detailed visual long-term memory.

Suggested Citation

  • Gesche M Huebner & Karl R Gegenfurtner, 2012. "Conceptual and Visual Features Contribute to Visual Memory for Natural Images," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(6), pages 1-8, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0037575
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037575
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    Cited by:

    1. Matteo Valsecchi & Karl R Gegenfurtner, 2012. "On the Contribution of Binocular Disparity to the Long-Term Memory for Natural Scenes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(11), pages 1-10, November.
    2. Simola, Jaana & Kuisma, Jarmo & Kaakinen, Johanna K., 2020. "Attention, memory and preference for direct and indirect print advertisements," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 249-261.
    3. Zhongyu Hu & Wenxi Zhou & Jiongjiong Yang, 2021. "The effect of encoding task on the forgetting of object gist and details," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-26, September.

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