Relational encoding of objects in working memory: Changes detection performance is better for violations in group relations

Research has indicated that working memory is based on forming relations between individual elements. In this study, we considered the congruency of object clusters during a change detection task. We demonstrate that changes which violate the relational encoding of a probe display (single-object changes where one object shifts independently from its corresponding group) are more easily detected than changes that maintain group structure (cluster changes where all objects in the group shift in location together)–despite cluster changes involving more objects moving overall. We explore this effect across interactions with direction of single-object movement (distancing from the cluster vs. uniting with the cluster) and trial order, demonstrating that naive participants improve at a faster rate on single-object changes than cluster changes. It is concluded that storage in working memory functions by building relational bindings between objects and their place within the chunk, rather than by binding objects to their spatial location.