Can Vision Replace Text in Working Memory? Evidence from Spatial n-Back in Vision-Language Models

Abstract: Working memory is a central component of intelligent behavior, providing a dynamic workspace for maintaining and updating task-relevant information. Recent work has used n-back tasks to probe working-memory-like behavior in LLMs, but it is unclear whether the same probe elicits comparable computations when information is carried in a visual rather than textual code in vision-LLMs. We evaluate Qwen2.5 and Qwen2.5-VL on a controlled spatial n-back task presented as matched text-rendered or image-rendered grids. Across conditions, models show reliably higher accuracy and d' with text than with vision. To interpret these differences at the process level, we use trial-wise log-probability evidence and find that nominal 2/3-back often fails to reflect the instructed lag and instead aligns with a recency-locked comparison. We further show that grid size alters recent-repeat structure in the stimulus stream, thereby changing interference and error patterns. These results motivate computation-sensitive interpretations of multimodal working memory.