Abstract
Subjects saw a brief display of N numerals arrayed vertically below a continuously-present fixation target, each numeral in its own depth plane, and reported the numeral whose depth was that of an arrow shown at fixation. The arrow was either simultaneous with the display or followed the display after a variable ISI. Mean report accuracy (d’) dropped rapidly from simultaneity to an ISI of ~200 ms, then recovered during the next second (but individual differences in baseline accuracy, rate of drop, and extent of recovery were notable.) These are novel phenomena; they suggest that depth information obeys both a rapid ‘iconic’ decay in short-term visual memory and a transfer from the initial display to a working memory that is only accessible much later on.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2013