ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the architecture of visuo-spatial working memory, taking as its starting point the popular and influential model of Logie (1995). Two issues are emphasised that have sparked productive controversy over recent times: the means of access into the visual working memory system and the nature of rehearsal within the system. The implications for these issues brought out by dynamic visual noise are explored and evidence is brought to bear that argues for a change in the architecture. In particular, it is argued that many of the controversies can be solved with the addition of a visual buffer as an independent component within visual working memory. This addition will, in turn, have implications for the understanding of the visual cache. Second, it is argued that movement as the means of rehearsal of the content of visual memory has little unambiguous empirical support and that the mechanisms of attention should provide the required retention mechanism. Again, the implications for the inner scribe and its relation to the cache are noted. These arguments require reference to a number of alternative models of visual processing that are able to shed light on the cognitive processes involved in visual memory.
