Representation of the visual and spatial properties of our environment is a pivotal requirement of everyday cognition. The problem posed to science is how everyday visuo-spatial cognitive operations are accomplished, and proffered accounts lie in two essentially parallel research endeavours, working memory and imagery. Although there is a strong case for working memory in the area of phonological and articulatory functions, the claims for visual and spatial working memory are less convincing. Most notable has been the assumption that visual and spatial working memory is intimately involved in the generation, retention and manipulations of visual images. There has until recently been little hard evidence to justify that assumption, and research on visual and spatial working memory has focused on a relatively restricted range of imagery tasks and phenomena. This essay follows a line of reconciliation and positive critique in exploring the possible overlap of mental imagery and working memory. Theoretical development in the book draws on data from both cognitive psychology and cognitive neuropsychology.
The aims are 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 aspects of human cognition.