Characteristics of visual interference with visuospatial working memory

摘要: Recent discussions of visuospatial working memory have suggested that this subsystem may incorporate a visual buffer which holds information relatively passively. Empirical investigations interference with held within yielded somewhat equivocal results. Nonetheless, evidence from Logie (1986) has indicated processing can be disrupted by passive exposure to irrelevant material in manner analogous the disruption serial verbal recall speech. This paper reports two experiments explore whether such input is disruptive storage imaginal primarily spatial task--the Brooks matrix task. Experiment 1 shows during encoding selectively disrupts performance on spatial, but not verbal, version The extent shown independent complexity material, its similarity to-be-remembered information, or change state, static white square pattern yielding equivalent produced changing patterns. second experiment indicates effects robust, and evident at an level when present only 20-second retention interval. These results are interpreted as obligatory access external buffer. Implications for nature discussed.