Length, lexicality, and articulatory suppression in immediate recall:evidence against the articulatory loop

Abstract

Influential models of short-term memory have attributed the fact that short words are recalled better than longer words in serial recall (the length effect) to articulatory rehearsal. Crucial for this link is the finding that the length effect disappears under articulatory suppression. We show, instead, that, under suppression, the length effect is abolished or reversed for real words but remains robust for nonwords. The latter finding is demonstrated in a variety of conditions: with lists of three and four nonwords, with nonwords drawn from closed and open sets, with spoken and written presentation, and with written and spoken output. Our interpretation is that the standard length effect derives from the number of phonological units to be retained. The length effect is abolished or reversed under suppression because this condition encourages reliance on lexical-semantic representations. Using these representations, longer words can more easily be reconstructed from degraded phonology than shorter words. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2005.01.005
Divisions: College of Health & Life Sciences > School of Psychology
College of Health & Life Sciences
Uncontrolled Keywords: articulatory suppression,lexicality,nonwords,open sets,short-term memory,word length effect,Language and Linguistics,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology,Linguistics and Language
Publication ISSN: 1096-0821
Last Modified: 17 Oct 2024 11:24
Date Deposited: 07 Dec 2010 12:12
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Related URLs: http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
Published Date: 2005-04
Authors: Romani, Cristina
McAlpine, Sheila
Olson, Andrew C.
Tsouknida, Effie
Martin, Randi C.

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