ABSTRACT
A recognition memory experiment investigated memory scanning when stimuli were organized but not easily labeled verbally. Subjects were shown a series of three, four, or five pictures followed by a probe stimulus in a paradigm similar to that introduced by Sternberg. Reaction time to the test stimulus served as the dependent measure. The principle findings indicated that the organization of the to-be-remembered sets had a pronounced influence on performance. When sets were disorganized, the retrieval appeared to be a serial process, since reaction time increased with set size. With organized sets, reaction time was independent of set size, suggesting a parallel search.
Subject(s)
Memory , Reaction Time , Visual Perception , Humans , Information Theory , Pattern Recognition, VisualSubject(s)
Concept Formation , Deafness , Memory, Short-Term , Child , Female , Humans , Language Development , Male , Proactive Inhibition , Psychological Tests , Sign LanguageABSTRACT
A recognition memory experiment investigated Ss' ability to organize information in short-term memory. A paradigm similar to that used by Sternberg was employed. A sequentially presented series of six digits (positive set) was shown with each digit appearing on a red, green, or amber background. The colors defined different ensembles, and responding to a test digit was contingent upon an item's membership in the positive set and the color-defined ensemble. Reaction time (RT) to the test digits indicated that Ss did organize information into ensembles. Furthermore, when informative cues were presented prior to the test item, Ss directed and confined their search to the cued subset.
ABSTRACT
An individual's ability to perform a deletion operation on sets in short-term memory was explored in a reaction time (RT) experiment. Special attention was given to the importance, for deletion, of temporal and spatial variables. Ss did perform a deletion operation. The speed of correct recognition was influenced by both the delay between the deletion (D) set and a test item and the serial order correspondence between identical items in the to-be-remembered or positive (P) set and the D set.
