Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The role of spatial cues in the probe-type serial memory task

D B Berch

    Child Development
    |September 1, 1978
    PubMed
    Summary

    Spatial cues are crucial for serial memory tasks in children. When spatial associations are blocked, memory suffers, but primacy effects persist. Spacing items reduces primacy, suggesting its link to item uniqueness.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Extracting parity and magnitude from Arabic numerals: developmental changes in number processing and mental representation.

    Journal of experimental child psychology·1999
    Same author

    Directed forgetting deficits in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: an information processing perspective.

    Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·1999
    Same author

    The Corsi block-tapping task: methodological and theoretical considerations.

    Brain and cognition·1998
    Same author

    Capacity limitations of a classic M-power measure: a modified dual-task approach.

    Journal of experimental child psychology·1997
    Same author

    Developmental changes in memorial comparisons: the effects of stimulus presentation mode.

    Journal of experimental child psychology·1992
    Same author

    Effects of task type and stimulus heterogeneity on the event rate function in sustained attention.

    Human factors·1987

    Area of Science:

    • Cognitive Psychology
    • Developmental Psychology
    • Memory Research

    Background:

    • The probe-type serial memory task, developed by Atkinson, Hansen, and Bernbach, is a standard method for assessing memory recall.
    • Understanding the influence of external cues, such as spatial information, is vital for interpreting performance on memory tasks, especially in developing children.
    • Age-related differences in serial position curves suggest varying memory strategies and cue utilization across different age groups.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the role of spatial cues in the probe-type serial memory task.
    • To examine how manipulating spatial associations and item spacing affects memory performance in young children.
    • To clarify the mechanisms underlying primacy effects in children's serial recall.

    Main Methods:

    • Two experiments were conducted using a probe-type serial memory task.
    • Experiment 1 manipulated item-location associations in second graders.
    • Experiment 2 altered stimulus spacing in 4- and 5-year-old children.

    Main Results:

    • Preventing item-location associations significantly impaired performance at early to intermediate serial positions in second graders, though primacy effects remained.
    • Widening the spatial distance between stimuli in younger children resulted in a flattened serial-position curve, diminishing the primacy effect.
    • Younger children (4-5 years) exhibited a flat serial-position function when stimuli were widely spaced.

    Conclusions:

    • Spatial cues function as critical stimuli in the standard probe-type serial memory task.
    • The contextual uniqueness of the first item appears to be responsible for the primacy effect observed in young children.
    • Findings offer insights into age-related variations in serial position curves and memory cue utilization.

    Related Experiment Videos