In this timely and comprehensive text, Cesare Cornoldi and Tomaso Vecchi describe their recently developed experimental approach to the investigation of visuo-spatial cognition, based upon the analysis of individual differences. A review of the most influential theoretical advances in the study of visuo-spatial cognition is presented, including both critical analysis and comparisons between the distinct approaches. In addition, the authors describe recent research into memory for spatial configurations, mental manipulation and the active integration of visuo-spatial information. This includes studies on the effects of congenital blindness on mental imagery abilities, developmental and age-related modifications, gender effects, and the role of genetic syndromes in determining visuo-spatial abilities. The authors draw together these distinct areas of research and integrate the findings within an innovative framework of working memory. This text will be a valuable resource for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of psychology, as well as researchers in the fields of cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and neuroscience.
Representation of the visual and spatial properties of our environment is a pivotal requirement of everyday cognition. We can mentally represent the visual form of objects. We can extract information from several of the senses as to the location of objects in relation to ourselves and to other objects nearby. For some of those objects we can reach out and manipulate them. We can also imagine ourselves manipulating objects in advance of doing so, or even when it would be impossible to do so physically. The problem posed to science is how these cognitive operations are accomplished, and proffered accounts lie in two essentially parallel research endeavours, working memory and imagery. Working memory is thought to pervade everyday cognition, to provide on-line processing and temporary storage, and to update, moment to moment, our representation of the current state of our environment and our interactions with that environment. There is now a strong case for the claims of working memory in the area of phonological and articulatory functions, all of which appear to contribute to everyday activities such as counting, arithmetic, vocabulary acquisition, and some aspects of reading and language comprehension. The claims for visual and spatial working memory functions are less convincing. Most notable has been the assumption that visual and spatial working memory are intimately involved in the generation, retention and manipulations of visual images. There has until recently been little hard evidence to justify that assumption, and the research on visual and spatial working memory has focused on a relatively restricted range of imagery tasks and phenomena. In a more or less independent development, the literature on visual imagery has now amassed a voluminous corpus of data and theory about a wide range of imagery phenomena. Despite this, few books on imagery refer to the concept of working memory in any detail, or specify the nature of the working memory system that might be involved in mental imagery. This essay follows a line of reconciliation and positive critiquing in exploring the possible overlap between mental imagery and working memory. Theoretical development in the book draws on data from both cognitive psychology and cognitive neuropsychology. The aim is to stimulate debate, to address directly a number of assumptions that hitherto have been implicit, and to assess the contribution of the concept of working memory to our understanding of these intriguing core aspects of human cognition.
The idea of one's memory "filling up" is a humorous misconception of how memory in general is thought to work; it actually has no capacity limit. However, the idea of a "full brain" makes more sense with reference to working memory, which is the limited amount of information a person can hold temporarily in an especially accessible form for use in the completion of almost any challenging cognitive task. This groundbreaking book explains the evidence supporting Cowan's theoretical proposal about working memory capacity, and compares it to competing perspectives. Cognitive psychologists profoundly disagree on how working memory is limited: whether by the number of units that can be retained (and, if so, what kind of units and how many), the types of interfering material, the time that has elapsed, some combination of these mechanisms, or none of them. The book assesses these hypotheses and examines explanations of why capacity limits occur, including vivid biological, cognitive, and evolutionary accounts. The book concludes with a discussion of the practical importance of capacity limits in daily life. This 10th anniversary Classic Edition will continue to be accessible to a wide range of readers and serve as an invaluable reference for all memory researchers.
Spatial working memory is the ability to remember the location in which something is perceived, and in addition, the ability to recall a series of visited locations. In this book, top researchers in the domain of spatial working memory review and discuss findings about the processes and memory structures which underlie the ability to store and use spatial information. The first part of the book provides an examination of the working memory system, looking at the behavioural and neural processes involved in working with (visuo-) spatial information and how these can constrain the hypotheses that are generated. It also addresses methodological questions, for example looking at how the use of the appropriate method can ensure that the observed data are as informative as possible about the underlying structures. The remaining chapters focus on specific problems to do with spatial working memory such as how the working memory system can handle individual differences in representing spatial interactions, how the visuospatial system can support and interact with the environment and the verbal system, and how understanding these systems can shed light on the development of particular skills in children with developmental disorders. With contributions from leading international figures in the field, this book is the first to address the topic of spatial working memory from a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. As such, it will serve as an indispensible tool for students and researchers interested in working memory.
This volume aims to further our understanding of developmental dyscalculia and measures that might help to redress it. In addition to recent research findings highlighting the importance of working memory facets in developmental dyscalculia and investigating the IQ-achievement discrepancy criterion in defining the disorder, a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of interventions for children with mathematical difficulties provides new directions for how affected children can best be helped.
Current Issues in Memory is a series of edited books that reflect the state-of-the-art areas of current and emerging interest in the psychological study of Memory. For the first time, this book offers a comprehensive new collection which gathers together some of the most influential chapters from the series into one essential volume. Featuring 17 chapters by many of the leading researchers in the field, the volume seeks to illustrate how memory research may be informative to the general public—either because it speaks to questions of personal or societal importance or because it changes traditional ways of thinking within society. Topics range from working memory to false fabrication and autobiographical forgetting, showcasing the breadth of memory research in the public sphere. With an introduction and conclusion by Professor Jan Rummel, this is the ideal companion for any student or practitioner looking for an insightful overview of the most researched topics in the field.
The relationships between perception and imagery, imagery and spatial processes, memory and action: These are the main themes of this text The interest of experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience on imagery and spatial cognition is remarkably increased in the last decades. Different areas of research contribute to the clarification of the multiple cognitive processes subserving spatial perception and exploration, and to the definition of the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning these cognitive functions. The aim of this book is to provide the reader (post-graduate students as well as experts) with a complete overview of this field of research. It illustrates the way how brain, behaviour and cognition interact in normal and pathological subjects in perceiving, representing and exploring space. (Series B).
Arithmetic is still hugely important in many aspects of modern life, but our personal attitudes to it differ greatly. Many people struggle with the basic principles of arithmetic, whilst others love it and feel confident in their arithmetical abilities. Why are there so many individual differences in people’s performance in, and feelings about, arithmetic? Individual Differences in Arithmetic explores the idea that there is no such thing as arithmetical ability, only arithmetical abilities. The book discusses several important components of arithmetic, from counting principles and procedures to arithmetical estimation, alongside emotional and cognitive components of arithmetical performance. This edition has been extensively revised to include the latest research, including recent cross-cultural and cross-linguistic research, the development of new interventions for children with difficulties and studies of early foundations of mathematical abilities. Drawing on developmental, educational, cognitive and neuropsychological studies, this book will be essential reading for all researchers of mathematical cognition. It will also be of interest to educators and other professionals working within individuals with arithmetic deficits.
Vision and memory are two of the most intensively studied topics in psychology and neuroscience. This book provides a state-of-the-art account of visual memory systems. Each chapter is written by an internationally renowned researcher, who has made seminal contributions to the topic.
