Short-term memory for individual verbal items as a function of method of recall.

Abstract

2 experiments were conducted to evaluate different methods of recall in short-term memory. Each experiment contained 96 5s divided into 4 subgroups. The stimuli were word triads, each containing words from 3 common taxonomic categories. The 5 saw a triad for 1.5 sec., followed by a series of random digits designed to minimize rehearsal. Retention was measured after 9 sec. In Exp. I, experimental -9s were provided with the appropriate category names at the beginning of a recall interval. Performance was not superior to control JTs who were told simply to recall. In Exp. II, experimental received category cues after an initial period of free recall. Under these conditions performance was superior to control Ss who had the same total time to recall but no special cues. The results are discussed in terms of (a) opposing facilitative and interfering effects of the recall cues, and (6) different methods of retrieval from short-term and long-term memory. Several experiments in short-term memory (STM) have demonstrated that, following a brief initial presentation, the retention of individual verbal items decreases rapidly over time. This has been shown to be true for many types of stimuli, under a variety of presentation conditions, and with several methods of measuring recall (e.g., Murdock, 1963; Peterson & Peterson, 1959). A majority of studies have attempted either to identify the relevant variables or to answer theoretical questions; the former have generally been concerned with similarities among the variables determining STM as contrasted with long-term memory (LTM), (e.g., Hellyer, 1962; Loess, 1967), while the latter have attempted to assess the nature of the storage pro