Auditory and visual imagery in free recall

Three experiments varied instructions and materials to compare the influence of auditory and visual imagery on free recall. Four kinds of words were presented: words with minimal imagery, words with both visual and auditory imagery, words with visual imagery, and words with auditory imagery. Experiment 1 (n = 48 volunteer college students) found instructions to form auditory images and words with auditory imagery to have the same advantage over control instructions and minimal imagery words as did visual imagery instructions and words with visual imagery. In Experiment 2 (n = 64 volunteer college students), groups instructed to form both auditory and visual imagery had incidental recall scores no greater than those of groups instructed to form only one kind of imagery. Experiment 3 (n = 64 volunteer college students) introduced augmented visual imagery (subjects drew a picture of the visual image) and augmented auditory imagery (subjects vocalized a sound modeled after the auditory image). Recall scores for the two augmented imagery groups were not significantly different from those for the two imagery groups. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for views of the cognitive representation of imagery.