Detailed Visual Memory for Objects in Scenes following Intentional and Incidental Learning Tasks

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the existence of long-term, detailed visual memory and whether this memory can be acquired incidentally. In both experiments, participants performed an intentional (Memorization) and an incidental (Visual Search) learning task while viewing photographs of real-world scenes. A memory test for previously viewed objects from both tasks then followed. Participants were not aware that they would be tested on the scenes in the Visual Search task. In two types of memory tests for specific visual information, performance in the Visual Search condition was above chance and did not differ significantly from Memorization Task performance. Results suggest that detailed visual information is encoded regardless of task instruction.