Serial position curves for colored light patches

Abstract

AbstractPrevious studies have shown a distinction between short‐term and long‐term visual memory by measuring serial position curves for achromatic visual patterns. Three experiments are reported in which serial position curves were measured for homogeneous colored light patches displayed on a color monitor. In experiment 1 three color patches were displayed in series followed by reverse serial order recognition testing. Experiment 2 used the same paradigm but with different colors and with four items in the presentation series. The results of both experiments showed a recency effect confined to the last item, but no evidence of any primacy effect. These results correspond to those observed with achromatic patterns, suggesting that similar memory processes are used for color and pattern information. In experiment 3, the presentation series of four colors was followed by a single a recognition probe for one of these colors, chosen randomly. Under these conditions, the pronounced recency effect disappeared. The results are consistent with the view that both color memory and achromatic pattern memory utilise a voluntary visualization strategy. This has important implications for theories of visual memory, and practical issues concerning color matching by visual inspection.