About the interplay between internal and external spatial codes in the mind: implications for serial order

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that serial order in verbal working memory is spontaneously coded along the horizontal axis (i.e., the spatial positional association response codes (SPoARC) effect), with the initial items being associated with left and the last items being associated with right. These studies have led to the idea that when the cognitive system is confronted with a sequence of items processed verbally and semantically, it internally generates a spatial coordinate frame onto which memoranda can be bound to maintain their serial information. In this study, the interplay between internal and external spatial codes in the mind was investigated by testing the flexibility of the SPoARC effect. A verbal Sternberg probe detection task was used in which the displayed direction of the items during encoding (centrally, from left-to-right and from right-to-left) and the presentation rate (1-and 5-s/item) were manipulated. SPoARC effects were found in all conditions but were reversed in the right-to-left presentation condition. Follow-up analyses revealed no evidence of any spatial cost for the reversal; moreover, it was not influenced by the presentation rates. These findings suggest that space can be flexibly recruited for the spontaneous coding of serial order. The theoretical implications of these observations are discussed.

Spatialization in working memory: can individuals reverse the cultural direction of their thoughts?

“…In order to compare the magnitude of spatialization in both studies, we compared the absolute value of both slopes. For this purpose, we used the same method than in Guida et al ., 37 that is, we recoded the data from Guida et al 13 . by reversing the position in the sequence of dRTs (e.g., dRTs from position 1 were recoded as dRTs from position 5).…”

“…In order to compare the magnitude of spatialization in both studies, we compared the absolute value of both slopes. For this purpose, we used the same method than in Guida et al, 37 that is, we recoded the data from Guida et al 13 by reversing the position in the sequence of dRTs (e.g., dRTs from position 1 were recoded as dRTs from position 5). Applying a Gaussian distribution to dRT through a linear mixed-effects model as in the above analysis, we compared a model that included "Participants" as random factor and position in the sequence and experiment (modalities: compare the experiment in Guida et al 13 with the present experiment) as fixed factors, and we compare it with a model that included participants as random factor and position in the sequence, experiment, and their interaction as fixed factors.…”

“…The first step states that if spatial information is already provided by the task at hand, the cognitive system will just use the spatial information in the environment (as in Guida et al 37 ). It is more economical for the cognitive system to use the spatial information already linked to memoranda than to respatialize the information (for other examples, see the Simon effect 48 or the visuospatial bootstrapping effect [49][50][51] ), even if its direction is opposite to the reading direction.…”

“…We did not have a strong a priori hypothesis concerning this comparison, as we were venturing into something relatively uncharacterized. We only knew from a previous SPoARC study 37 that when items are displayed on a screen left to right or from right to left, the SPoARC effect reverses, yet the magnitude of the effect remains the same.…”

Do preliterate children spontaneously employ spatial coding for serial order in working memory?

“…34). Temporarily binding items to coordinates on an allocentric reference frame allows for flexible coding of serial order, 26 and for spatial attention to contribute to critical WM processes, such as retrieval, refreshing, and scanning. 12 The availability of this recycled system underlies the OPE that was observed for a subset of preliterate children in the current study.…”