Research Progress of Visual Working Memory in Hearing-Impaired Patients

听障者因听觉通道受限，视觉系统承担更多功能，其视觉工作记忆表现出“补偿–缺陷”共存的独特模式。以往研究发现，听障者的视觉工作记忆容量与健听者无显著差异，听障者在视空间加工和动态信息处理方面具有优势，但在时间序列任务和复杂绑定任务中表现稍逊，这可能与跨模态资源竞争有关。跨模态可塑性理论表明，听觉皮层的功能重组为视觉功能增强提供了神经基础，但这种代偿并非全局性，而是受任务需求和神经资源分配的调节。此外，手语经验对听障者的视觉空间工作记忆有显著影响，长期手语使用者在相关任务中表现更优。教育干预应结合听障者的视觉代偿机制，通过多模态教学、环境优化和家庭支持，最大化其视觉学习潜能，未来研究需深化机制探索并推动实践转化，构建更具包容性的教育体系。Due to limited auditory pathways, individuals with hearing impairments rely more on their visual systems, exhibiting a unique pattern of “compensation-deficit” in their visual working memory. Previous studies have found that the capacity of visual working memory in individuals with hearing impairments is not significantly different from that of hearing individuals. However, these individuals excel in visuospatial processing and dynamic information handling but perform slightly worse in time-series tasks and complex binding tasks, which may be related to modality-specific resource competition. The theory of modality-specific plasticity suggests that functional reorganization in the auditory cortex provides a neural basis for enhanced visual function, but this compensation is not universal; it is regulated by task demands and neural resource allocation. Additionally, sign language experience has a significant impact on the visuospatial working memory of individuals with hearing impairments, with long-term users performing better in relevant tasks. Educational interventions should integrate the visual compensation mechanisms of individuals with hearing impairments, maximizing their visual learning potential through multimodal teaching, environmental optimization, and family support. Future research needs to deepen the exploration of these mechanisms and promote practical application, aiming to build a more inclusive educational system.