The VISP training module within the NeuroMite program trains and improves active rehearsal in spatial working memory.
Scene and Task
Imagine you have a bird's-eye view of a number of ships on the ocean. Some of the ships are indicated in turn (e.g. they are illuminated or disappear). This is the memorizing phase. In the rehearsal phase that follows, you are encouraged in various ways to practice rehearsal. You must subsequently reproduce the sequence in which the ships were indicated (recall phase).
Difficulty Structure
The VISP training program has 18 difficulty levels. The demands on visuospatial working memory are varied in a number of ways. At some levels the ships move, while at others they remain motionless at anchor. Across the levels there is an increase in the number of ships that the client must actively rehearse and reproduce. The number of ships on the screen and the length of time for which they are highlighted also vary.
Through various forms of guidance the client is trained to improve his remembering of the ships’ positions by practicing sequential rehearsal during the rehearsal phase. The rehearsal aids are gradually reduced as the client progresses through the levels. At the outset the ships are highlighted again during the rehearsal phase in the same order as during the memorizing phase. Later the ships are shown in the rehearsal phase without highlighting, so that the client must now shift his attention between the positions unaided. At the higher difficulty levels the ships eventually disappear and the client must click with the mouse to indicate where the highlighted ships were previously seen.
