The Inner Eye and the Inner Scribe of Visuo-spatial Working Memory: Evidence from Developmental Fractionation

Abstract

An experiment is reported which explored the possible dissociation between visual and spatial working memory in children. Children aged 5–6, 8–9 and 11–12 years were given a recognition memory test for visual patterns or for sequences of movements to targets. Memory for patterns was better than memory for movement sequences and this difference was largest in the eldest group, and larger in the middle group than in the younger group. In a contrasting condition, the same groups of children were tested using immediate recall rather than recognition. A similar advantage for visual pattern memory over movement sequence memory appeared, and again this difference became more prominent with the age of the children. The results are interpreted as supporting the fractionation of visuo-spatial working memory into a temporary visual cache for storing visual form and an inner scribe for temporary retention of spatial information.