Feature-Based and Spatial Involuntary Internal Attention Differentially Shape Action-Oriented Working Memory Selection

While attention is known to prioritize stimuli held temporally in our working memory (WM), it remains poorly understood how different features (and primarily, spatial vs. non-spatial) involuntarily select complex WM contents to guide action. Building on the Binding and Retrieval in Action Control (BRAC) framework and the Theory of Event Coding (TEC), we hypothesized that any encoded feature should be capable of reactivating an Stimulus-Response (S-R) event file in WM. Across six experiments (N=199), divided into two Experimental Series—in which we systematically manipulated timing, perceptual salience, and attentional engagement—we pre-registered and tested the hypothesis that non-predictive, color-based retro-cues could involuntarily select and prioritize complex WM events associated with S-R bindings. Contrary to our expectations, we found no significant involuntary (facilitatory) effect of color retro-cues and observed moderate meta-analytic evidence against such an effect. This comprehensive lack of an effect stands in stark contrast to meta-analytic evidence from previous studies using the exact same design but with spatial retro-cues, which demonstrated a small but robust effect. This provides compelling evidence that not all retro-cues can interact with WM representations with the same efficacy, challenging the assumption that all features hold equal status within an event representation. Instead, our findings suggest a critical bias in involuntary WM selection: color-based retro-cues fail to involuntarily select complex WM contents containing integrated S-R associations, while spatial retro-cues do. This distinction implies that the functional relevance of a perceptual feature to action planning is the critical determinant for its ability to trigger the prioritization of complex internal representations, upholding the essential link between action and memory in adaptive behavior.