Comparing Short‐term Memory and Memory for Rapidly Presented Visual Stimuli

Abstract

What similarities and differences are there between memory for short lists shown at one item per second and memory for such lists after rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) at much higher rates—eight items per second? This paper reports that, when pictures are shown at eight per second or one per second, phonological similarity of the picture names reduces recall at the one item per second rate, but not at the eight item per second rate. In contrast, when subjects are shown the written names of the pictures, phonological similarity reduces recall at both rates. It is concluded that phonological coding does not occur for picture lists shown at high rates. The mechanisms underlying memory for pictures and words shown at RSVP and short‐term memory rates are considered.