ABSTRACT

Working memory incorporates the notion of a visuo-spatial sketch pad; a mechanism thought to be specialized for short term storage of visuo-spatial material. Two experiments are reported which examined selective interference in short-term visual memory. One slave system, the articulatory loop, is thought to be involved in storage and processing of verbal material. A second slave system, the visuo-spatial sketch pad (VSSP), performs a similar function for visuo spatial material. Baddeley et al. demonstrated that concurrent visuo spatial tracking disrupts a task that involves storage of the relative positions of numbers in a square matrix. Baddeley and Lieberman showed that the disruption of the matrix task occurs with a non-visual tracking task in which subjects were blindfolded and received auditory feedback about spatial location. The visual span for each subject was measured using a procedure devised by Wilson et al. The measure of letter span for each subject involved presenting a random sequence of consonants on the computer screen.