Fig. 2: The computerised visuospatial working memory task used in the study is illustrated.

In each trial, a central fixation cross was presented for 3.0 s, before the target (a black circle) appeared for 0.2 s. The task consisted of a total of 66 trials of varying difficulty, presented in random order. Trial difficulty was varied by altering the target location, by increasing the delay between target presentation and response, and by presenting a distractor task between target presentation and response. In fixed location trials, the target appeared in the centre of the screen, and in variable location trials the target appeared displaced from the central fixation cross. The three delay conditions between target presentation and response were: 1)0.5 s delay, 2)8 s delay, 3)8 s delay followed by a distractor task (vowel-consonant decision). Following each delay/distractor, participants were asked to recall the location of the target on a blank screen, presented for 3.5 s.