Long-term memory guides resource allocation in working memory

Working memory capacity is incredibly limited and thus it is important to use this resource wisely. Prior knowledge in long-term memory can aid in efficient encoding of information by allowing for the prioritization of novel stimuli over familiar ones. Here we used a full-report procedure in a visual working memory paradigm, where participants reported the location of six colored circles in any order, to examine the influence of prior information on resource allocation in working memory. Participants learned that one of the items appeared in a restricted range of locations, whereas the remaining items could appear in any location. We found that participants’ memory performance benefited from learning this prior information. Specifically, response precision increased for all items when prior information was available for one of the items. Responses for both familiar and novel items were systematically ordered from highest to lowest precision. Participants tended to report the familiar item in the second half of the six responses and did so with greater precision than for novel items. Moreover, novel items that appeared near the center of the prior location were reported with worse precision than novel items that appeared elsewhere. This shows that people strategically allocated working memory resources by ignoring information that appeared in predictable locations and prioritizing the encoding of information that appeared in unpredictable locations. Together these findings demonstrate that people rely on long-term memory not only for remembering familiar items, but also for the strategic allocation of their limited capacity working memory resources.