Awareness-dependent Attentional Templates: Neural Mechanism Differentiation Driven by Visual Working Memory Load

Abstract

Visual working memory (VWM) guides attention via internal attentional templates, but whether this relies on a “single” or “multiple” templates and how awareness and VWM load regulate its neural mechanisms remain unclear. This study used a VWM-guided visual search paradigm with backward masking (awareness manipulation) and EEG. Behavioral results showed that aware VWM supported multi-template attention guidance, while subjectively unaware VWM only allowed single-template guidance. EEG revealed that alpha oscillations over posterior electrodes indexed attention allocation. Neural mechanisms differed by VWM load: Single-item maintenance relied on posterior alpha–alpha phase coupling, while multi-item maintenance depended on theta–alpha cross-frequency coupling between anterior and bilateral posterior regions. These findings clarify how awareness regulates VWM attentional template mode and reveal load-specific neural coupling, providing evidence for understanding working memory–attention–awareness interactions.