Short-Term Recognition Memory for Single Letters and Phonemic Similarity of Retroactive Interference

Abstract

Copying 12 letters produces more retroactive interference in recognition memory for a single letter when the interference letters possess a vowel sound in common with the letter to be remembered than when they do not. Compared to interference lists that do not include the presented letter, inclusion in the interference list of the letter to be remembered improves recognition memory when the other interference letters have no vowel sound in common with the letter to be remembered, but not otherwise. False recognition rates are greater when the test letter contains a vowel sound in common with the presented letter than when the vowel sounds of these two letters are different. The findings are in complete accord with analogous findings for short-term recall and indicate that short-term recognition memory uses the same phonemic-associative memory system as short-term recall.