Information in working memory (WM) is crucial for guiding behavior. However, not all WM representations are equally relevant simultaneously. Current theoretical frameworks propose a functional dissociation between ‘latent’ and ‘active’ states, in which relevant representations are prioritized into an optimal (active) state to face current demands, while relevant information that is not immediately needed is maintained in a dormant (latent) state. In this context, task demands can induce rapid and flexible prioritization of information from latent to active state. Critically, these functional states have been primarily studied using simple visual memories, with attention selecting and prioritizing relevant representations to serve as templates to guide subsequent behavior. It remains unclear whether more complex WM representations, such as novel stimulus-response associations, can also be prioritized into different functional states depending on their task relevance, and if so how these different formats relate to each other. In the present study, we investigated whether novel WM-guided actions can be brought into different functional states depending on current task demands. Our results reveal that planned actions can be flexibly prioritized when needed and show how their functional state modulates their influence on ongoing behavior. Moreover, they suggest the representations of novel actions of different functional states are maintained in WM via a non-orthogonal coding scheme, thus are prone to interference.

中文翻译：

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内部注意力调节工作记忆中新型刺激-反应关联的功能状态

工作记忆（WM）中的信息对于指导行为至关重要。然而，并非所有 WM 表示同时都同样相关。当前的理论框架提出了“潜在”和“活跃”状态之间的功能分离，其中相关表示被优先考虑到最佳（活跃）状态以面对当前需求，而不是立即需要的相关信息则保持在休眠（潜在）状态。 ） 状态。在这种情况下，任务需求可以导致信息从潜在状态到活动状态的快速灵活的优先级排序。重要的是，这些功能状态主要是使用简单的视觉记忆来研究的，注意选择和优先考虑相关的表征作为指导后续行为的模板。目前尚不清楚更复杂的 WM 表征（例如新颖的刺激-反应关联）是否也可以根据其任务相关性优先分为不同的功能状态，如果可以的话，这些不同的格式如何相互关联。在本研究中，我们研究了是否可以根据当前任务需求将新颖的 WM 引导动作带入不同的功能状态。我们的结果表明，计划的行动可以在需要时灵活地确定优先顺序，并显示它们的功能状态如何调节它们对持续行为的影响。此外，他们建议通过非正交编码方案在 WM 中维护不同功能状态的新动作的表示，因此容易受到干扰。