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The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
An exploration of the relations between external representations and working memory
1School of Health Information Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA. Jiajie.Zhang@uth.tmc.edu
Plos One
|August 5, 2009
Summary
External representations can hinder task performance if they conflict with internal working memory. Effective external aids require seamless coordination with cognitive processes for improved performance.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Psychology
Background:
- External representations are hypothesized to aid cognition by expanding working memory capacity.
- Limited empirical evidence directly tests the memory aid hypothesis for external representations.
- Understanding the interplay between external information and working memory is crucial for cognitive performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between external representations and working memory.
- To examine how the availability of external information impacts task performance.
- To test the conditions under which external representations enhance or impede cognitive tasks.
Main Methods:
- Systematic manipulation of information availability (external vs. internal).
- Utilized a sequential number comparison task.
- Conducted three experiments to analyze performance based on information source interaction.
Main Results:
- Task performance is determined by the interaction between external representations and working memory.
- Mismatched information between external sources and working memory hinders performance.
- External representations do not always enhance task performance; coordination is key.
Conclusions:
- The effectiveness of external representations depends on their integration with working memory.
- Coordination among different representational sources is vital for distributed cognition.
- Future research should explore the mechanisms of representational coordination in cognitive tasks.
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