Which component is primarily responsible for processing visual and spatial information?

• A. Central executive
• B. Phonological loop
• C. Visuo-spatial sketchpad
• D. Sensory memory

Answer: (C)

Visual and spatial processing in working memory is handled by the visuo-spatial sketchpad. This component stores visual images and the relationships between objects in space, so you can hold a picture in your mind and know where things are or how they’re arranged. It has two parts: a visual cache for features like color and shape, and an inner scribe that tracks spatial relationships and movements. This lets you, for example, picture a route you’re about to take, rotate a mental image, or compare positions of objects. The central executive guides attention and coordinates tasks, but it isn’t the system that stores visual content. The phonological loop handles sounds and language, and sensory memory is a brief initial buffer for all senses. When two visual tasks contend for the same resources (like imagining a scene while solving a visual puzzle), performance can suffer due to the sketchpad’s limited capacity.