THE VON RESTORFF EFFECT IN VERY-SHORT-TERM MEMORY.
Abstract
An experiment was performed to investigate the nature of the isolation effect in very-short-term memory. A probe technique was used with 10-item lists. Isolation was produced at six positions in the list by embedding a single digit among nine consonants or a consonant among nine digits. Control trials were given where all items were of one type. The results indicated no difference in recall of the isolated and control items and enhanced recall of the item following the isolated item. The isolated item was found to appear less often as an intrusion than the control item but performance on the remainder of the list did not differ from control lists. Performance on items preceding the isolated item was also no different from performance on control items. The results of the experiment do not uniformly support either the generalization theory or the limited-capacity model because recall of the isolated item was not facilitated. However, the recall of the item following the isolated item was facilitated which suggested an interpretation in terms of stimulus recognition. This interpretation requires stimulus recognition to occur prior to association elicitation. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0683738
Entities
People
- Barry Lee Lively
Organizations
- University of Michigan