Memory for words location in writing.
In two experiments, we investigated memory for words location after writing a text. Experiment 1 demonstrated the existence of a memory for words location in writing by showing that participants who first composed a text and were then asked to locate words extracted from their text performed above a chance level established using a computer simulation, and better than participants who did not compose a text but were told the subject of the text. Experiment 2 showed that memory for words location in writing is mainly supported by a visuospatial representation of the text, as indicated by the lower recall of words location by participants who performed a visuospatial concurrent task at the time of the composition, compared with participants who performed a verbal concurrent task. The findings highlight the role of a spatial representation of the physical layout of the text and the role of such a memory in the writing process.
Le Bigot
Nathalie
N
Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l'Apprentissage, Université de Poitiers and CNRS, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société, 99 avenue du recteur Pineau, 86000, Poitiers, France.
Passerault
Jean-Michel
JM
Olive
Thierry
T
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics; D008568:Memory; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013028:Space Perception; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014825:Vocabulary; D014956:Writing