Long-term working memory in text production.
In reading and other high-level cognitive tasks, Ericsson and Kintsch (1995) proposed that the limited capacity of short-term working memory (STWM) is supplemented by long- term working memory (LTWM) for individuals with a high degree of domain-specific knowledge. In Experiment 1, college students (N = 80) wrote persuasive and narrative texts concerning baseball; domain-specific knowledge about baseball and verbal ability was assessed. The results showed that verbal ability and domain-specific knowledge independently affected writing skill, supporting the view that literacy depends on both knowledge sources and refuting one argument raised in support of the LTWM hypothesis. Experiment 2 (N = 42) replicated this outcome and tested the prediction that a high degree of domain-specific knowledge would lessen interference on a secondary task. The data supported the interference prediction, offering evidence that LTWM plays a role in the production of text.
Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, Rolla 65409-1270, USA. kellogg@umr.edu
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D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011930:Reaction Time; D014706:Verbal Learning; D014956:Writing