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Updated: May 23, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
2D mental whiteboards: Multidimensional spatial coding of serial order in verbal working memory.
Elger Abrahamse1,2, Jean-Philippe van Dijck3,4, Matthias Hartmann5
1Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, Tilburg, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE, The Netherlands. E.L.Abrahamse@tilburguniversity.edu.
People can use multiple spatial dimensions to remember verbal sequences. This study shows that task demands can flexibly guide working memory to utilize both horizontal and vertical mental lines simultaneously.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Memory
Background:
- Serial order in verbal working memory typically involves a mental line for coding item sequences.
- Spatialization of verbal items (e.g., horizontal or vertical orientation) can adapt to task context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if individuals can use multiple spatial dimensions simultaneously for verbal sequence coding.
- To determine if task demands can elicit multidimensional spatialization in working memory.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments involved encoding letter sequences and performing interleaved classification tasks.
- Participants used horizontal or vertical saccade responses for classification, probing spatial coding.
- Stimulus-response mapping varied between fixed and variable conditions across experiments.
Main Results:
- Spatial biases were observed along both horizontal (left-right) and vertical (up-down) axes.
- Multidimensional spatial coding was indicated by simultaneous horizontal and vertical biases.
- Horizontal and vertical spatial biases showed a positive correlation.
Conclusions:
- The human brain can employ multidimensional spatial coding for verbal sequences.
- Task context is a key factor in probing and eliciting simultaneous use of multiple spatial dimensions in working memory.
- This research demonstrates a novel strategy for spatial coding in verbal working memory.
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