Picturing Words and Spelling out Pictures Semantic, phonological and spatial aspects of working memory capacity and processing and their implication for information layout
Interdisciplinary studiesWorking memorySign languageDyslexiaIndividual differencesInformation layoutTVÄRVETENSKAP
This study investigates verbal and visuospatial memory strategies used by individuals with perceptual or cognitive disabilities. The groups concentrated on in this study are deaf individuals who are native sign language users and individuals with dyslexia. The study comprises an experiment and an in-depth study in which a pre-test and a questionnaire were used. Nine deaf signers, two persons with dyslexia and 12 persons without any perceptual or cognitive constraints participated. Of these 23 persons, seven were selected to take part in the in-depth study. The results indicate individual differences in working memory capacity among the subjects and differences in performance and processing between native sign language users and hearing individuals. Further, all of the participants were using a number of different strategies and shifting between strategies in the experiment. The results demonstrate that the amount of information individuals are able to hold activated in working memory is dependent on a range of factors, both internal factors specific to the individual and external factors relating to how information is presented. Guidelines for information presentation to limit working memory demands based on the findings are suggested.