Same set of visual pointers for biological and non-biological objects in working memory

It has been well-established that visual working memory (VWM) is implemented by a limited set of similar to 3 pointers/indexicals, binding features together. Most of these studies used non-biological objects (e.g., shapes) as stimuli. However, two separate lines of recent work on infants and adults have prompted a proposal that biological objects recruit a separate set of visual pointers in working memory, distinct from the classical similar to 3 pointers for non-biological objects (the separate set hypothesis). The alternative possibility is that biological and non-biological objects share the same set of pointers (the same set hypothesis). In the current paper, we provide evidence supporting the same set hypothesis with a series of three experiments involving biological motions and complex shapes, as well as arguments reconciling evidence that seemed to support the separate set hypothesis.