Eccentricity Constrains Spatial Working Memory Fidelity: Evidence for the Cortical Maps Hypothesis

Spatial working memory (SWM) has been characterised as a flexible resource that determines the precision with which memoranda are stored. The ‘cortical map’ proposal predicts that resource allocation, and therefore mnemonic precision, is limited by the availability of cortical space to represent memoranda. This hypothesis was tested using a continuous spatial localisation task in which memory items were presented at three eccentricities and set sizes of 1–8. Localisation error increased systematically with eccentricity, as predicted by the cortical maps hypothesis. Mixture-modelling analyses indicated that the eccentricity effect was primarily driven by increases in imprecision at small set sizes (set sizes 1–5). In contrast, when set size exceeded five items, guessing made an increasingly important contribution to localisation error, suggesting that representations of peripheral locations become more vulnerable to memory failure under high memory loads. Misbinding errors were most prominent for locations nearest fixation, likely reflecting reduced inter-item spacing at small eccentricities. Stimuli were not scaled to compensate for cortical magnification, but the observed increase in imprecision closely matched predictions derived from a cortical magnification function. Together, these findings support the cortical maps hypothesis and indicate that spatial working memory representations compete for limited representational resources within the spatial maps that guide action.