ORDINAL SEQUENCE IN SHORT-TERM RETENTION OF NUMBERS

The distribution of errors of commission in the missing scan as a function of the ordinal sequence of numbers indicates storage of information about numbers in terms of their ordinal sequence. This was shown by different error distributions, due to different error gradients, for single and repeated numbers when random sequences containing 6 numbers once and 6 numbers twice were read aloud to 76 high school and college students who were to report the 1 number missing from the set 1-13. Analysis of other missing scan data for numbers presented visually at different rates showed similar error gradients at 1/sec and 2/sec, but no error gradient at 4/sec, indicating that item-information may be encoded in terms of the ordinal sequence when presentation is slow enough. These results suggest that both serial order recall and the missing scan may involve the same mode of short-term storage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.