title: Overwriting and intrusion in short-term memory.
abstract: Studies of interference in working and short-term memory suggest that irrelevant information may overwrite the contents of memory or intrude into memory. While some previous studies have reported greater interference when irrelevant information is similar to the contents of memory than when it is dissimilar, other studies have reported greater interference for dissimilar distractors than for similar distractors. In the present study, we find the latter effect in a paradigm that uses auditory tones as stimuli. We suggest that the effects of distractor similarity to memory contents are mediated by the type of information held in memory, particularly the complexity or simplicity of information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N6K 2T8. banc6110@mylaurier.ca.
authors.forename: Tyler D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Bancroft
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N6K 2T8.
authors.forename: Jeffery A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N6K 2T8.|Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, P.O. Box 4200, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, A1C 5S7.
authors.forename: Tyler M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ensor
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N6K 2T8. whockley@wlu.ca.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Hockley
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N6K 2T8.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Servos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Interference; Intrusion; Overwriting; Short term memory; Working memory