Hanging on the telephone: Maintaining visuospatial bootstrapping over time in working memory

Visuospatial bootstrapping (VSB) refers to the phenomenon in which performance on a verbal working memory task can be enhanced by presenting the verbal material within a familiar visuospatial configuration. This effect is part of a broader literature concerning how working memory is influenced by use of multimodal codes and contributions from long-term memory. The present study aimed to establish whether the VSB effect extends over a brief (5-s) delay period, and to explore the possible mechanisms operating during retention. The VSB effect, as indicated by a verbal recall advantage for digit sequences presented within a familiar visuospatial configuration (modelled on the T-9 keypad) relative to a single-location display, was observed across four experiments. The presence and size of this effect changed with the type of concurrent task activity applied during the delay. Articulatory suppression (Experiment 1) increased the visuospatial display advantage, while spatial tapping (Experiment 2) and a visuospatial judgment task (Experiment 3) both removed it. Finally, manipulation of the attentional demands placed by a verbal task also reduced (but did not abolish) this effect (Experiment 4). This pattern of findings demonstrates how provision of familiar visuospatial information at encoding can continue to support verbal working memory over time, with varying demands on modality-specific and general processing resources.

Automated summary

Visuospatial bootstrapping (VSB) refers to the enhancement of verbal working memory performance by presenting verbal material within a familiar visuospatial configuration. This study aimed to investigate the extension of the VSB effect over a brief delay period and elucidate the mechanisms at play during retention. The results showed that the VSB effect was present, but its magnitude varied depending on the concurrent task activity during the delay, such as articulatory suppression, spatial tapping, and a visuospatial judgment task. These findings highlight the role of familiar visuospatial information in supporting verbal working memory, with different demands on modality-specific and general processing resources.