Browsing by Person "Allen, Richard J."

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Body image, visual working memory and visual mental imagery
(PeerJ, 2015-02-17) Darling, Stephen; Uytman, Clare; Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena; Pearson, David G.
Body dissatisfaction (BD) is a highly prevalent feature amongst females in society, with the majority of individuals regarding themselves to be overweight compared to their personal ideal, and very few self-describing as underweight. To date, explanations of this dramatic pattern have centred on extrinsic social and media factors, or intrinsic factors connected to individuals' knowledge and belief structures regarding eating and body shape, with little research examining links between BD and basic cognitive mechanisms. This paper reports a correlational study in which visual and executive cognitive processes that could potentially impact on BD were assessed. Visual memory span and self-rated visual imagery were found to be predictive of BD, alongside a measure of inhibition derived from the Stroop task. In contrast, spatial memory and global precedence were not related to BD. Results are interpreted with reference to the influential multi-component model of working memory.
Dataset for PeerJ article 'Body Image, Visual Working Memory and Visual Mental Imagery.'
(2014) Darling, Stephen; Uytman, Clare; Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena; Pearson, David G.
Dataset related to article: Darling, S., Uytman, C., Allen, R. J., Havelka, J., & Pearson, D. G. (2015) Body image, visual working memory and visual mental imagery. PeerJ, 3, [e775]. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.775
Dataset for Visuospatial bootstrapping: binding useful visuospatial information during verbal working memory encoding does not require set-shifting executive resources.
(2018) Calia, Clara; Darling, Stephen; Havelka, Jelena; Allen, Richard J.
Dataset related to Calia, Clara and Darling, Stephen and Havelka, Jelena and Allen, Richard J (2018) Visuospatial bootstrapping: binding useful visuospatial information during verbal working memory encoding does not require set-shifting executive resources. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. ISSN 1747-0226 (In Press) https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/5276
Hanging on the telephone: Maintaining visuospatial bootstrapping over time in working memory
(Springer, 2023-06-06) Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena; Morey, Candice C.; Darling, Stephen
Visuospatial bootstrapping (VSB) refers to the phenomenon in which performance on a verbal working memory task can be enhanced by presenting the verbal material within a familiar visuospatial configuration. This effect is part of a broader literature concerning how working memory is influenced by use of multimodal codes and contributions from long-term memory. The present study aimed to establish whether the VSB effect extends over a brief (5s) delay period, and to explore the possible mechanisms operating during retention. The VSB effect, as indicated by a verbal recall advantage for digit sequences presented within a familiar visuospatial configuration (modelled on the T-9 keypad) relative to a single location display, was observed across four experiments. The presence and size of this effect changed with the type of concurrent task activity applied during the delay. Articulatory suppression (Experiment 1) increased the visuospatial display advantage, while spatial tapping (Experiment 2) and a visuospatial judgment task (Experiment 3) both removed it. Finally, manipulation of the attentional demands placed by a verbal task also reduced (but did not abolish) this effect (Experiment 4). This pattern of findings demonstrates how provision of familiar visuospatial information at encoding can continue to support verbal working memory over time, with varying demands on modality-specific and general processing resources.
Modality Specificity and Integration in Working Memory: Insights from Visuospatial Bootstrapping
(American Psychological Association, 2014-10-20) Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena; Falcon, Thomas; Evans, Sally; Darling, Stephen
The question of how meaningful associations between verbal and spatial information might be utilized to facilitate working memory performance is potentially highly nstructive for models of memory function. The present study explored how separable processing capacities within specialized domains might each contribute to this, by examining the disruptive impacts of simple verbal and spatial concurrent tasks on young adults' recall of visually presented digit sequences encountered either in a single location or within a meaningful spatial 'keypad' configuration. The previously observed advantage for recall in the latter condition (the 'visuospatial bootstrapping effect') consistently emerged across three experiments, indicating use of familiar spatial information in boosting verbal memory. The magnitude of this effect interacted with concurrent activity; articulatory suppression during encoding disrupted recall to a greater extent when digits were presented in single locations (Experiment 1), while spatial tapping during encoding had a larger impact on the keypad condition and abolished the visuospatial bootstrapping advantage (Experiment 2). When spatial tapping was performed during recall (Experiment 3), no task by display interaction was observed. Outcomes are discussed within the context of the multicomponent model of working memory, with a particular emphasis on cross-domain storage in the episodic buffer (Baddeley, 2000).
Navigating the Mind's Eye: Understanding Gaze Shifts in Visuospatial Bootstrapping
(SAGE Publications, 2024-09-04) Nikolov, Teodor Y.; Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena; Darling, Stephen; van de Vegte, Baz; Morey, Candice C.
Visuo-spatial bootstrapping refers to the well-replicated phenomena in which serial recall in a purely verbal task is boosted by presenting digits within the familiar spatial layout of a typical telephone keypad. The visuo-spatial bootstrapping phenomena indicates that additional support comes from long-term knowledge of a fixed spatial pattern, and prior experimentation supports the idea that access to this benefit depends on the availability of the visuo-spatial motor system (e.g., Allen et al., 2015). We investigate this by tracking participants’ eye movements during encoding and retention of verbal lists to learn whether gaze patterns support verbal memory differently when verbal information is presented in the familiar visual layout. Participants’ gaze was recorded during attempts to recall lists of seven digits in three formats: centre of the screen, typical telephone keypad, or a spatially identical layout with randomized number placement. Performance was better with the typical than with the novel layout. Our data show that eye movements differ when encoding and retaining verbal information that has a familiar layout compared with the same verbal information presented in a novel layout, suggesting recruitment of different spatial rehearsal strategies. However, no clear link between gaze pattern and recall accuracy was observed, which suggests that gazes play a limited role in retention, at best.
On the right track? Investigating the effect of path characteristics on visuospatial bootstrapping in verbal serial recall
(Ubiquity Press, 2017-12-08) Allan, Anthea; Morey, Candice C.; Darling, Stephen; Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena
Visuospatial bootstrapping (VSB) occurs when memory for verbal material is enhanced via association with meaningful visuospatial information. Sequences of digits are visually presented either in the center of the screen or within a keypad layout in which the digits may be arranged identically to familiar pin pad and mobile phone layouts, or randomly. Recall is consistently higher when digits are presented in the familiar layout. This bootstrapping- could involve primarily long-term knowledge of the layout, primarily short-term memory of the unique spatial path, or may depend on both. We manipulated the path complexity of sequences to test whether the VSB effect depends on the quality of spatial representations in conjunction with the familiarity of the spatial layout in two experiments. We consistently observed both VSB effects and path complexity effects on verbal serial recall, but never observed any interaction between these factors, even when articulatory suppression was imposed. Analysis of recall by serial position revealed that the VSB effect was focused on the end-of-list items. Our finding of pervasive path complexity effects on verbal serial recall suggests incidental encoding of spatial path occurs during visually-presented verbal tasks regardless of layout familiarity, confirming that spatial factors can affect verbal recall, but ruling out the notion that incidental spatial paths are uniquely and voluntarily encoded with familiar layouts.
Visuospatial bootstrapping: Binding useful visuospatial information during verbal working memory encoding does not require set-shifting executive resources
(Sage, 2018-05-07) Calia, Clara; Darling, Stephen; Havelka, Jelena; Allen, Richard J.
Immediate serial recall of digits is better when the digits are shown by highlighting them in a familiar array, such as a phone keypad, compared to presenting them serially in a single location; a pattern referred to as 'visuospatial bootstrapping'. This pattern implies the establishment of temporary links between verbal and spatial working memory, alongside access to information in long term memory. However, the role of working memory control processes like those implied by the 'Central Executive' in bootstrapping has not been directly investigated. Here we report a study addressing this issue, focusing on executive processes of attentional shifting. Tasks in which information has to be sequenced are thought to be heavily dependent on shifting. Memory for digits presented in keypads versus single locations was assessed under two secondary task load conditions, one with and one without a sequencing requirement, and hence differing in the degree to which they invoke shifting. Results provided clear evidence that multimodal binding (visuospatial bootstrapping) can operate independently of this form of executive control process.
Visuospatial bootstrapping: Long-term memory representations are necessary for implicit binding of verbal and visuospatial working memory
(2012-04) Darling, Stephen; Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena; Campbell, Aileen; Rattray, Emma
It has recently been shown that presenting additional visuospatial information alongside to-be-remembered numbers in a digit span task enhances participants' memory for those items. However, the mechanisms behind this visuospatial bootstrapping effect have remained unspecified. In this article, we report evidence that this effect involves an integration of information from verbal and visuospatial temporary memory with long-term-memory (LTM) representations and that the existence of a relevant LTM representation is necessary for bootstrapping to occur.
Visuospatial bootstrapping: Spatialized displays enhance digit and nonword sequence learning
(Wiley, 2020-07-09) Darling, Stephen; Havelka, Jelena; Allen, Richard J.; Bunyan, Elle; Flornes, Lise
Visuospatial bootstrapping describes the observation that performance on a verbal memory task is enhanced by presenting the to-be-remembered material in a format with additional embedded spatial information. Thus far it has only been reported in short-term memory tasks. Here we report two experiments assessing the impact of spatial information on the learning of sequences in long term memory. Experiment 1 used digits presented within a familiar numeric keypad as stimuli compared against single digits presented in one location. Experiment 2 used novel nonwords which were either presented in an unchanging arrangement permitting the building-up of location knowledge or in a constantly changing arrangement. Both experiments demonstrated strong evidence that reliable spatial information facilitated sequence learning, particularly in later sequence positions. It is concluded that the incidental availability of spatialized information during study can facilitate learning of sequences of digits and nonwords. Furthermore the spatial information can be learned during the task itself, and does not need to be pre-existent in long-term knowledge.
Visuospatial Bootstrapping: When Visuospatial and Verbal Memory Work Together
(Sage, 2017-02-08) Darling, Stephen; Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena
Visuospatial Bootstrapping is the name given to a phenomenon whereby performance on visually presented verbal serial recall tasks is better if stimuli are presented in a spatially distributed array, instead of sequentially in the middle of a screen. However, the display has to be a familiar one - when random displays are used there is no memory benefit. This phenomenon implies the existence of channels of communication between cognitive systems involved in storing short term memory for verbal and visual information, alongside connections to and from knowledge held in long term memory. Bootstrapping is a robust, replicable phenomenon that requires to be incorporated in theories of working memory and of how working memory interacts with long term memory. This article provides an overview of bootstrapping, contextualises it within research on interactions between long term knowledge and short term memory, and addresses how it can help inform current working memory theory.