Abstract: In three experiments of 44 participants,we intended to examine effects of verbal second interference task on the retention of objects and spatial locations w ith different verbal demand in working memory.We adopted the method of a delayed match-to-sample task in which subjects are presented with astimulus(S1)that contains object or spatial information that has to the retained for a delayed comparison with a second stimulus(S2).W hen verbal second interference task was inserted into S1-S2 interval,we want to investigate which kind of working memory perform ance(object working memory or spatial working memory)demonstrated greater sensitivity to this interference task.The main results are as follows:the verbal encoding mechanism always played an important role in the maintenance of object information in working memory,whether memory stimuli is unfamiliar objects,or nameable objects when test stimuli is graphic form or forms of words;however,in experiment using nameable spatial locations as memory stimuli,whether the verbal encoding mechanism was selected,depended on the experimental conditions.

Key words: object working memory, spatial working memory, verbal encoding