Preprint · Mar 17, 2026
Age-related effects on the spatial configuration of visual short-term memory
By Delvenne J
The present project investigates how ageing affects the ability to process, encode, maintain, and use spatial configuration in visual short-term memory (VSTM). VSTM is known to rely not only on the storage of individual item features (e.g., colour), but also on the spatial relationships between items. However, it remains unclear whether older adults are able to exploit this spatial configuration to the same extent as younger adults. This experiment focuses on whether the presence of the full spatial configuration at retrieval improves memory performance, and whether this benefit differs with age. Participants will complete an online change-detection task in which they briefly view arrays of coloured squares presented at different locations. After a short delay, they will be tested either with a single-item probe or with the full array. Their task is to decide whether a colour has changed between the memory and test displays. By comparing performance across probe conditions, the study will assess the extent to which spatial configuration supports VSTM, and whether this configural benefit is reduced in older adults. Participants will be recruited online via Prolific and will complete the experiment using the Gorilla platform. In addition to the main task, participants will complete a brief screening questionnaire, a short cognitive assessment (MoCA), and a handedness questionnaire. The study is designed to be completed in a single session lasting approximately 25–30 minutes. Stimuli are carefully controlled and counterbalanced across trials. Each memory display contains multiple coloured squares presented at predefined spatial locations, with constraints ensuring that colours and locations are evenly distributed across the experiment. Change trials are balanced such that each colour and each location are equally likely to be altered. Trial order is randomised for each participant. The expected outcome is that memory performance will be higher when the full spatial configuration is available at test compared to when only a single item is probed. Crucially, it is hypothesised that this configural benefit will be reduced in older adults, reflecting an age-related decline in the ability to use spatial relational information to support memory. This would provide evidence that ageing affects not only the storage of visual information, but also the integration and use of spatial structure in VSTM. More broadly, this project aims to contribute to theoretical accounts of cognitive ageing by clarifying whether age-related differences in VSTM arise from limitations in item memory, relational binding, or the use of contextual information. Subsequent experiments will extend this approach by directly manipulating spatial configuration and by isolating configural encoding processes independently of feature memory.