Effects of Visuo-Spatial Working Memory on Wayfinding Ability

The present review analyse the relationship between visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) in wayfinding, which is the ability to move successfully through the environment. As the results of research on individual differences in wayfinding are mixed, various explanation have to be considered. In this chapter, we will analyze these findings in light of the different component of VSWM proposed by Logie (1995, 2003) and a more recent model by Cornoldi and Vecchi (2003). We will also investigate the development of VSWM and how its changes in older adults, causing a decrease in wayfinding ability. For example, evidence from studies of route learning and memory for object location indicates an aging-related decrement in piloting, particularly in unfamiliar surroundings. On the one hand, the decline in landmark-based navigation could be the result of diminished path integration skill, particularly if path integration typically provides a supplemental informational for piloting. On the other hand, the more basic path integration process may retain its operational integrity beyond the time that association-based piloting begins to reflect a general age-related decline in learning rate. In this chapter, we considered these different explanations in relation to theories about VSWM. Finally, we consider the results of studies on brain-damagedpatients demonstrating the importance of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is necessary to maintain active the goal destination in VSWM for use in navigation.