EVIDENCE FOR 2 STORAGE PROCESSES IN SHORT-TERM MEMORY

In a probe-type memory task, undergraduates were required to remember the location of 1 of 9 digits presented in a row with miniature projectors. 1 group was required to verbalize the numbers aloud as they were presented. A 2nd group remained silent. As in previous studies with this task, a bow-shaped serial position curve was obtained, with the effect of recency higher than that of primacy. Saying the numbers aloud depressed primacy and increased the recency effecy as compared to that of the silent group. Presumably, oral verbalization preempted time otherwise used for rehearsal, a main determinant of primacy. Conversely, recency was facilitated as a result of added sensory cues or recirculation of items through a primary memory. The study was replicated with 22 institutionalized retardates tested on a 7-position task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.