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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Orthographic distinctiveness and memory for order.

Gina Glanc¹, Robert Greene

¹Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5827, USA. gina.glanc@tamucc.edu

Memory (Hove, England)

|August 21, 2012

Summary

Orthographic distinctiveness impacts memory differently. Small neighborhood words aid item recall, while large neighborhood words improve order recall in immediate serial recall tasks.

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Psycholinguistics
Memory Research

Background:

Orthographic distinctiveness, measured by neighborhood size, has complex effects on memory.
Prior studies indicate small neighborhood words benefit item recognition, whereas large neighborhood words benefit associative recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the complex effects of orthographic distinctiveness (neighborhood size) on immediate memory for order.
To compare performance in item position reconstruction versus serial recall tasks.

Main Methods:

Participants reconstructed the positions of six-word lists.
Lists were drawn from a large stimulus pool with varying orthographic neighborhood sizes.
Memory for order was assessed using immediate item position reconstruction and immediate serial recall.

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Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

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Last Updated: May 19, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

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Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

Comparing the Frequency Effect Between the Lexical Decision and Naming Tasks in Chinese

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Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

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Main Results:

Words with small orthographic neighborhoods showed an advantage in immediate item position reconstruction.
Conversely, words with large orthographic neighborhoods demonstrated an advantage in immediate serial recall.

Conclusions:

The effect of orthographic neighborhood size on immediate memory for order is complex and task-dependent.
Small neighborhood words facilitate memory for item location, while large neighborhood words facilitate memory for sequential order.