Article (Scientific journals)
The representation of serial order in working memory: A matter of space or time?
Attout, Lucie; Remouchamps, Robin; Lesenfants, Damien et al.
2026In NeuroImage, 326, p. 121708
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Keywords :
Serial order; Space; Time; Working memory; fMRI; Humans; Male; Female; Adult; Young Adult; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Brain Mapping; Memory, Short-Term/physiology; Space Perception/physiology; Brain/physiology; Time Perception/physiology; Serial Learning/physiology; Brain; Memory, Short-Term; Serial Learning; Space Perception; Time Perception; Neurology; Cognitive Neuroscience
Abstract :
[en] The representation of serial order information is a fundamental aspect of verbal working memory (WM). However, the way our brain represents serial order information remains an open question. The spatial hypothesis considers that auditory-verbal serial order information is recoded using spatial codes, according to a left-to-right dimension for left-to-right readers. The temporal hypothesis considers the intervention of temporal codes for representing serial order information. This fMRI study contrasted the spatial and temporal hypotheses of WM serial order coding by administering an implicit spatial processing task involving the end-of-movement detection of a dot that stabilized on leftward, central or rightward endpoints, an implicit temporal processing task involving the detection of a target sound that occurred at early, middle and late timepoints of an auditory sequence, and a verbal WM task involving the encoding and retention of the serial order of 6-letter lists. We observed shared multivariate neural activity patterns for the encoding of WM serial position information and corresponding timepoints in the temporal processing task, and this in several frontal and parietal areas. Moreover, neural activity patterns in the left anterior IPS also distinguished the different spatial endpoints in the spatial processing task and predicted robustly corresponding serial position information in the WM task. These results provide support for implicit temporal and to a lesser extent, implicit spatial encoding of serial order information in verbal WM.
Disciplines :
Neurosciences & behavior
Theoretical & cognitive psychology
Author, co-author :
Attout, Lucie  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Psychologie > Mémoire et langage ; Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: lucie.attout@unige.ch
Remouchamps, Robin ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Psychologie et Neuroscience Cognitives (PsyNCog)
Lesenfants, Damien  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Logopédie
Fias, Wim ;  Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium. Electronic address: wim.fias@ugent.be
Majerus, Steve  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Psychologie et Neuroscience Cognitives (PsyNCog)
Language :
English
Title :
The representation of serial order in working memory: A matter of space or time?
Publication date :
01 February 2026
Journal title :
NeuroImage
ISSN :
1053-8119
eISSN :
1095-9572
Publisher :
Academic Press Inc., United States
Volume :
326
Pages :
121708
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
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since 02 March 2026

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