Effects of divided attention at encoding on specific and gist representations in working and long-term memory

Abstract

Divided attention (DA) at encoding disrupts specific and gist representations for complex associations in episodic long-term memory. Competing mechanisms may account for these deficits, including impairments in forming specific or gist representations during initial encoding, or in consolidating these representations over time into long-term memory. Using a continuous associative recognition procedure, coupled with multinomial-processing-tree model analyses, we compared the effects of DA versus full attention at encoding on specific and gist representations in both working and long-term memory in 107 young adults. Early effects of DA on specific memory representations emerged in working memory, whereas effects on gist memory manifested only in long-term memory. Thus, DA differentially impacts initial and late stages of processing at distinct levels of representation. Additionally, regarding the rate at which specific and gist information is forgotten over time, under DA at encoding, both types of information are forgotten at comparable rates, whereas gist memory is forgotten at a slower rate under full attention.