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Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm
Published on: May 14, 2014
Can the irrelevant speech effect turn into a stimulus suffix effect?
Sabine J Schlittmeier1, Jürgen Hellbrück, Maria Klatte
1Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|April 19, 2008
Summary
Irrelevant speech affects auditory serial recall via the irrelevant sound effect (ISE), not the stimulus suffix effect (SSE). Maximizing auditory-perceptive similarity did not switch the mechanism, showing ISE is distinct from SSE.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Auditory Perception
- Memory Research
Background:
- The irrelevant sound effect (ISE) and stimulus suffix effect (SSE) involve irrelevant auditory material during verbal serial recall.
- A prior hypothesis suggested ISE could shift to SSE with maximized auditory-perceptive similarity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if irrelevant speech shifts from ISE to SSE when auditory-perceptive similarity is maximized.
- To investigate the distinct mechanisms of ISE and SSE in auditory serial recall.
Main Methods:
- Auditory serial recall task with irrelevant speech and speech suffix conditions.
- Manipulation of voice similarity between to-be-recalled items and irrelevant speech.
- Experiment involved 36 participants.
Main Results:
- Irrelevant speech consistently operated via an ISE mechanism, irrespective of voice similarity.
- The ISE mechanism extended to recency effects.
- Speech suffixes did not induce an ISE mechanism.
Conclusions:
- The irrelevant sound effect (ISE) in auditory serial recall is independent of auditory-perceptive similarity.
- The ISE mechanism does not transform into the stimulus suffix effect (SSE).
- Auditory-perceptive similarity does not mediate the switch between ISE and SSE.
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