Dissociating visual and spatial components of the visuospatial slave system of working memory

In an attempt to dissociate the visual and spatial components of the visuos patial slave system of working memory, 16 subjects were enrolled for two di fferent tasks using the same stimuli. In each trial, two shapes were shown simultaneously, and three seconds later, a single shape was displayed. The latter shape was identical to, similar to, or unlike one of the two display ed previously, and it was located in the same place, nearby, or far from on e of the previous shapes. In the visual task, the subject had to decide whe ther or not the third shape was identical to one of the previous shapes. In the spatial task, the subject had to decide whether or not the third shape occupied the same location as one of the previous shapes. This design was an enhancement of the one reported by Smith et al. (Journal of Cognitive Ne uroscience, 1995). The results support the dissociation between the visual and spatial components, with an exception concerning the effect of visual s imilarity on correct response latencies in the spatial task.