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On the auditory modality superiority effect in serial recall: separating input and output factors
Nelson Cowan1, J Scott Saults, Gordon D A Brown
1Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, 65211, USA. CowanN@missouri.edu
Summary
The modality effect, better memory for spoken words, originates during encoding, not recall. New methods show output delay and interference only reveal this effect by lowering performance.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Memory Studies
Background:
- The modality effect describes superior recall of later list items presented auditorily versus visually.
- The precise origin of this effect (encoding vs. output) has remained debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the locus of the modality effect by differentiating input serial position, output serial position, and recall interference.
- To clarify whether the modality effect arises during information encoding or retrieval.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel method to disentangle effects of input serial position, output serial position, and items remaining for recall.
- Manipulated output delay and interference, including acoustically similar distractors, to assess their impact on the modality effect.
Main Results:
- Significant modality effects were observed primarily under conditions of high output delay and interference.
- Output delay and interference were found to reduce overall recall performance, making the modality effect more apparent.
- The modality effect persisted even with acoustically similar interference during the output phase.
Conclusions:
- The modality effect originates during the encoding stage of memory, not during the output or retrieval stage.
- Output interference and delay do not cause the modality effect but rather create conditions that reveal its presence by reducing performance levels.