Immediate memory for simultaneously presented items: The effects of search for a target item

Abstract

Arrays of eight consonants were presented for 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 sec, and Ss searched for a specific target consonant in each array. The search task reduced probed recall of the other items in the array. This decrease was greatest when the target was not present or was in the middle of the array. Consonants on the end of the array furthest from the target showed greater improvement in recall with longer exposures than did items closer to the target. Thus, the target item served as a high-priority event and detracted from the recall of the array as a whole and adjacent items in particular.