Visual Memory: Figures, Faces, and Spatial Arrays
Visual Memory on the WME tests memory for nonverbal, figural, and spatial material that is seen rather than heard: abstract designs, faces, spatial arrays, and complex figures. The stimulus is removed before recall, so the domain measures visual encoding, storage, and reproduction or recognition, not perceptual matching alone.
Core rules and concepts
- Visual information is held in the visuospatial sketchpad. The visual cache stores object features (what), while the inner scribe handles spatial relations and movement (where). Tasks can load one component more than the other.
- Encoding can be featural or configural. Faces tend to be processed holistically; abstract designs are processed part-by-part. A task that changes configuration while keeping features constant tests binding, not just feature memory.
- Copy is not memory. A copy trial measures perception and constructional praxis. Recall must follow removal of the stimulus and a delay; otherwise a good copy score can mask a memory problem, or a poor copy can depress recall for motor reasons.
- Reproduction and recognition place different demands on the system. Reproduction requires drawing or construction and can be penalized by tremor, planning, or spatial neglect. Recognition reduces motor demands but introduces false-positive errors.
- Organization drives recall. Good performers scan the figure, encode major axes and intersections, and use a consistent order. Fragmented, element-by-element copying predicts fragmented recall.
Worked example
A candidate copies a complex geometric figure accurately (34/36). After 3 minutes they recall 20/36; after 30 minutes they recall 18/36. Reasoning: the copy score shows adequate perception and drawing, so the recall scores are interpretable as memory. Immediate recall is 59% of the copy score and delayed recall is 53%, both below the expected range for a healthy young adult but well above floor. The small drop from 3 to 30 minutes (20 to 18) suggests the trace consolidated and was not rapidly lost; the main weakness is initial encoding and retrieval. The protocol shows fragmented elements drawn in isolated clusters, so strategy may be suppressing the score. A recognition trial would help separate retrieval from drawing ability.
Traps that cost marks
- Using the copy score as if it were a memory score.
- Penalizing drawing style rather than accuracy and organization.
- Ignoring false positives on visual recognition.
- Failing to note verbal labeling that converts a visual task into a verbal one.
- Confusing object identity with spatial location.
- Applying norms without checking age, education, and motor status.