Exploring Visual–Spatial Working Memory: A Critical Review of Concepts and Models
Abstract
The ability to retain and process an object's identity and spatial location is essential for many daily tasks, often referred to as visual-spatial working memory. Research investigating visual-spatial processing has concentrated on three aspects or mechanisms thought to sub-serve this process; perceptual processes, anatomical correlates and working memory functions. An approach integrating all three areas has largely been neglected. Hence, this review sought to (1) outline some of the advances made to the understanding by these three concepts or models of visual-spatial processing, (2) establish the relationship between these processes, and discuss the challenges faced by researchers attempting to dissociate this functions from other visual-spatial processes as well as other working memory functions. It is suggested that a more comprehensive and integrative understanding of visual-spatial working memory has implications for research seeking to investigate visual-spatial memory, and to relate visual-spatial memory to other cognitive functions, such as executive function and attention.
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When humans observe a space, they convert egocentric perceptions into an allocentric mental map, enabling perspective-taking from various viewpoints.
“When humans observe a space, they convert egocentric perceptions into an allocentric mental map, enabling perspective-taking from various viewpoints”
From Thinking in Space: How Multimodal Large Language Models See, Remember, and Recall Spaces (2025) · cites this paper as [56]
Cites
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Baddeley, A. (2000) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01538-2 · Cited by 7,359 · see citing works
Object vision and spatial vision: Two cortical pathways
Mishkin, M., Ungerleider, L. G., & Macko, K. A. (1983) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/0166-2236(83)90190-x · Cited by 2,947 · see citing works
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‘What’ and ‘where’ in the human brain
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“Hence, despite evidence to support a neural distinction between spatial and object working memory (Baizer et al. 1991; Courtney et al. 1996; Haxby et al. 2000; Ungerleider and Haxby 1994), the idea that visual–spatial working memory consists of two different components or functions is still widely debated (Baddeley 20…”
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Thinking in Space: How Multimodal Large Language Models See, Remember, and Recall Spaces
Yang, J., Yang, S., Gupta, A. W., Han, R., Fei-Fei, L., & Xie, S. (2025) · 2025 IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) · doi:10.1109/cvpr52734.2025.00994 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
“This transformation relies on visualizing new perspectives and on visuospatial working memory [2], the abil-10633 ity to hold and manipulate spatial information, say by updating object positions from new egocentric input [20, 56].”
Oculomotor preparation as a rehearsal mechanism in spatial working memory
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- Authors
- McAfoose, J., & Baune, B. T.
- Affiliations
- James Cook University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Baune, B. T.
- Venue
- Neuropsychology Review
- Published
- 2008-09-24
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 130-142
- ISSN
- 1040-7308 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-6660
- OpenAlex
- W2094944990
- Cited by
- 64
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 0.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Neuropsychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ResearchOnline - JCU (James Cook University) (submittedVersion)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- visuospatial working memory, visuospatial processing, perceptual processing, anatomical correlates, executive function, attention, object identity, spatial location
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Attention, Brain, Cognition, Humans, Memory, Short-Term, Models, Psychological, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Space Perception, Visual Perception
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