Visuospatial working memory mediates the relationship between executive functioning and spatial ability

Abstract

This study investigates the relationships among EF, VSWM, VWM, and spatial ability (mental rotation) at the construct level through testing a series of mediation models. A second objective of the study is to investigate whether the mediation relationship changes depending on the secondary demand of the tests used to measure EF. Covariates age and gender were controlled for in theses analyses. The results showed that when the Tower test, an EF test with a spatial secondary demand, was used to represent EF, VSWM significantly mediated the relationship between EF and mental rotation. However, when the composite inhibition and switching scores from the Color-Interference Test, an EF test with a verbal secondary demand, was used to represent EF, VSWM no longer significantly mediated the relationship between EF and mental rotation. This pattern of findings suggests that the test effect is real. Therefore, a grain of salt should be taken when interpreting prior findings concerning the relationship between EF and VSWM, when EF was measured using a variety of instruments, some of which have a spatial secondary demand, whereas others do not. Regarding VWM as a mediator, it was not found to be significantly mediating the relationship between EF and mental rotation, regardless of whether the Tower test or the Color-Interference Test was used to measure EF. A third objective of the study is to investigate the relative importance of EF, VSWM, and VWM in predicting mental rotation via dominance analysis. The results showed that VSWM is more important than VWM in explaining individual differences in mental rotation; the Tower test is more important than the Color-Interference Test in explaining individual differences in mental rotation. These findings again suggest that cautions need to be taken when interpreting prior findings that showed EF is highly involved in spatial ability, as test effect is real and may at least be partially be responsible for the linkage between the two constructs.