CONTEXTUAL CHANGE AND RELEASE FROM PROACTIVE INTERFERENCE IN SHORT-TERM VERBAL MEMORY

journal abstract: The Ss were given five successive short-term memory tests with a different consonant trigram presented on each test. The events comprising a test were presented visually. For the experimental condition, the size of the display area for the consonant trigram on Test 5 was either smaller or larger than the display area of the consonant trigrams on Tests 1-4. Recall on Test 5 of the experimental condition was significantly higher than the recall on Test 5 of the control condition. In the control condition, the trigram display area was held constant across the five tests. The data indicate that a change in verbal categories is not a necessary condition for producing a release from proactive interference in short-term verbal memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.