Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
Imposing structure on a Corsi-type task: evidence for hierarchical organisation based on spatial proximity in
1School of Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK. cdl2@le.ac.uk
Abstract:
Structure was imposed on a tapping task by requiring participants to reproduce sequences of responses to icons organised in spatial clusters. A first experiment featured sequences either segregated or not segregated by clusters. Accuracy was higher for sequences segregated by clusters. Moreover, inter-response times were longer at cluster boundaries than within cluster boundaries. To rule out possible confounding effects of movement length, this temporal pattern was replicated in a second experiment requiring a single response indicating the next sequential step, following the presentation of a portion of a previously practised sequence. These results suggest that sequence reproduction can be sustained by a hierarchical representation based on spatial proximity and provide a first indication of the role of spatial structure in serial-spatial memory.
Related Concept Videos
Storage
Impact of Schemas
Working Memory
Causes of Similarity-Dissimilarity Effect
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
Hierarchy of Motor Control
