Working Memory in a Visual-Spatial Language: Evidence from American Sign Language

Dr. Beth Losiewicz

Independent Scholar

 

Abstract

There exists substantial evidence that speakers of an auditory language have an auditory language working memory subsystem (the Phonological Loop), that operates separately from visual-spatial working memory. This talk presents experimental evidence that native users of a visual-spatial language, American Sign Language, also have a separate working memory subsystem for their visual-spatial language, that is separate from their visual-spatial memory.