Components of short-term proactive interference

Abstract

A classical short-term memory finding is that asymptotic performance in the Brown-Peterson paradigm decreases over the first few trials. Three experiments investigated the extent to which this performance decrease is due to a decrease in information being transferred to long-term store. Each experiment consisted of two parts. The first part utilized a Brown-Peterson paradigm with word triads as stimuli. The second part was a final free recall test in which subjects attempted to recall the words they had seen in the first part. The results showed no decrease in final recall probability as a function of short-term trial number, suggesting that the short-term decrease in performance is due to increasing retrieval difficulties. A model is proposed which handles the present results as well as other basic characteristics of the Brown-Peterson paradigm.