VERBAL AND SPATIAL MEMORY WORKLOAD CHANGES SACCADIC REACTION TIMES (Obciazenie pamieci werbalnej i przestrzennej zmienia charakterystyke czasowa skokowych ruchow oka)

Understanding of visual perception requires explanation of the interactive functioning of working memory and visual selection system, especially problem of common attentional resources involved in both of them (Mitchell et al. 2002). The review of theories of saccade generation and working memory supplied a hypotheses concerning existence of common resources, and rules of its distribution. In experiments, saccadic reaction times (SRT) were investigated as a function of increasing verbal and spatial working memory workload. In first experiment linear decreasing of SRTs has been demonstrated, in second investigation increasing SRTs as an effect of growing memory workload has been observed. The data has been interpreted in terms of automation and control of eye movements. When verbal memory workload biased central executive eye movements became more automated and faster. In second experiment both tasks used common structure- spatial sketch pad- what explains prolongation of SRTs.