In search of decay in verbal short-term memory.
Is forgetting in the short term due to decay with the mere passage of time, interference from other memoranda, or both? Past research on short-term memory has revealed some evidence for decay and a plethora of evidence showing that short-term memory is worsened by interference. However, none of these studies has directly contrasted decay and interference in short-term memory in a task that rules out the use of rehearsal processes. In this article the authors present a series of studies using a novel paradigm to address this problem directly, by interrogating the operation of decay and interference in short-term memory without rehearsal confounds. The results of these studies indicate that short-term memories are subject to very small decay effects with the mere passage of time but that interference plays a much larger role in their degradation. The authors discuss the implications of these results for existing models of memory decay and interference.
Berman
Marc G
MG
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. bermanm@umich.edu
Jonides
John
J
Lewis
Richard L
RL
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010153:Paired-Associate Learning; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011334:Proactive Inhibition; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012660:Semantics; D014706:Verbal Learning; D055815:Young Adult