How the Internal Attention Selection Advantage Emerges in Visual Working Memory: Evidence from the Retro-Cue Paradigm

Abstract: Visual working memory (VWM) is a fundamental system for the short-term storage and online manipulation of visual information, with its flexibility depending on the goal-directed allocation of internal attention. The retro-cue paradigm, which presents a cue following encoding but before the probe, is a key tool for indexing the retro-cue benefit (RCB) and revealing the selective advantage of internal attention. Building on the continuous-resource framework, we synthesize recent findings and argue that the emergence of the internal-attention advantage hinges on (i) the sufficiency of memory consolidation, which determines cue effectiveness; (ii) the degree of sustained attention, which maintains the activation of target representations; and (iii) enhanced decision information quality, which improves behavioral performance. Moreover, temporal dynamics, changes in memory items, variations in cue characteristics, and external interference jointly modulate the efficiency of resource allocation and the stability of representations, thereby shaping internal-attention effects over time. On this basis, we propose a cognitive model that integrates the mechanisms producing the internal-attention advantage with the interacting factors that influence it. We also outline future directions, including the role of active inhibition, the processing of complex stimuli, and characteristic profiles of internal attention in neurodevelopmental conditions. These contributions offer a novel perspective on how internal attention flexibly governs the management of information within VWM.