During a mental rotation task, which Working Memory component is primarily engaged?

• A. Visuospatial Sketchpad
• B. Central Executive
• C. Phonological Loop
• D. Episodic Buffer

Answer: (A)

Mental rotation relies on holding and transforming a visual image in your mind. The visuospatial sketchpad is the component that manages visual-spatial information—storing shapes and positions and allowing you to rotate and manipulate those images mentally. That makes it the primary engine for rotating an object in your imagination to compare it with another orientation. The central executive coordinates attention and planning, but the actual manipulation of the visual image comes from the visuospatial sketchpad. The phonological loop handles verbal information, which isn’t central to this purely spatial task, and the episodic buffer isn’t needed for the core spatial transformation.