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The role of auditory features in memory span for words
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Learning and Memory
|May 1, 1980
Summary
Auditory presentation improves memory for word order and recall of word endings. Auditory features like stress and vowels are retained in short-term memory, supporting attribute models.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Short-term memory research traditionally focuses on item recall.
- Limited understanding of how stimulus modality affects memory for word order and error characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of auditory versus visual presentation on memory span for words.
- To analyze serial position effects and auditory features of intrusion errors in short-term memory tasks.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments comparing memory span for words under auditory and visual conditions.
- Analysis of serial position curves to assess recall accuracy across list positions.
- Examination of auditory features in intrusion errors and their relation to omitted items.
Main Results:
- Auditory presentation enhanced recall of terminal words and improved word order recall.
- Intrusion errors shared auditory features with omitted words, even in visual presentation.
- Syllabic stress patterns and stressed vowel phonemes were the most retained auditory features.
Conclusions:
- Short-term memory retains partial auditory features of stimulus words.
- Findings support attribute models over unit models for short-term memory.
- Modality effects extend beyond simple item recall to include memory for sequence and error patterns.
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