Cross-domain interference costs during concurrent verbal and spatial serial memory tasks are asymmetric

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Working Memory Research

Background:

• Serial order memory is crucial for cognitive function.
• Previous research indicates domain-general and domain-specific aspects of working memory.
• Asymmetries in interference between verbal and visuospatial tasks have been observed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of concurrent verbal and spatial serial order memory tasks on performance across the entire serial position curve.
• To examine asymmetries in interference patterns between verbal and spatial working memory.
• To explore the nature of domain-general versus domain-specific resources in working memory.

Main Methods:

• Participants concurrently performed verbal and spatial serial order memory tasks.
• Interference effects were analyzed across all serial positions.
• The study compared performance with and without concurrent task demands, and with the addition of suffixes.

Main Results:

• Concurrent verbal and spatial tasks caused substantial interference compared to single-task performance.
• Verbal tasks impaired spatial memory across all serial positions.
• Spatial tasks primarily impaired early serial positions in verbal memory, with late items unaffected unless suffixes were added, revealing asymmetry.

Conclusions:

• Working memory likely utilizes domain-general resources, supplemented by domain-specific verbal resources.
• Spatial working memory may not have equivalent domain-specific resources.
• Interference patterns provide insights into the architecture of working memory for serial order.