Working Memory Prioritization Changes Bidirectional Interactions with Perceptual Inputs

Items stored in visual working memory often differ in priority. Typically, observers will shift their internal attention towards items that are relevant for impending behavior and away from those that may become relevant later. These distinct states of priority are theorized to influence bidirectional interactions between memoranda and new visual inputs by modulating their susceptibility to retroactive and proactive biases, respectively. However, prior research has produced limited and conflicting evidence on this topic due to reliance on inconsistent retrodictive cues (retro-cues) that incentivize memory prioritization. To address this, we used a double-serial retro-cue paradigm that incentivized the complete prioritization of one of two unfamiliar shape memoranda for use in a comparison with a perceptual probe before a second, independent cue instructed observers to report one of their two memories (Experiments 1-2) or the perceptual probe itself (Experiment 2). We found that observers reported robust retroactive and proactive biases, but that only retroactive biases were modulated by prioritization. Reports of prioritized memories were more precise and contained smaller attractive biases towards the probe than unprioritized memories, whereas probe reports were biased comparably towards each. These findings reveal an asymmetrical effect of prioritization on the reciprocal interactions between memory and perception.