title: Memory for pure tone sequences without contour.
abstract: We presented pure tones interspersed with white noise sounds to disrupt contour perception in an acoustic short-term memory (ASTM) experiment during which we recorded the electroencephalogram. The memory set consisted of seven stimuli, 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 of which were to-be-remembered tones. We estimated each participant׳s capacity, K, for each set size and measured the amplitude of the SAN (sustained anterior negativity, an ERP related to acoustic short-term memory). We correlated their K slopes with their SAN amplitude slopes as a function of set size, and found a significant link between performance and the SAN: a larger increase in SAN amplitude was linked with a larger number of stimuli maintained in ASTM. The SAN decreased in amplitude in the later portion of the silent retention interval, but the correlation between the SAN and capacity remained strong. These results show the SAN is not an index of contour but rather an index of the maintenance of individual objects in STM. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Auditory working memory.
authors.affiliation: Centre de recherche de l׳institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, 4545 Chemin Queen Mary, Montréal, QC, Canada H3W 1W4; Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3J7; International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research, Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Université de Montréal, CP 6128, succ. Centre Ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3J7. Electronic address: christine.lefebvre@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.affiliation: Centre de recherche de l׳institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, 4545 Chemin Queen Mary, Montréal, QC, Canada H3W 1W4; Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3J7; International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research, Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Université de Montréal, CP 6128, succ. Centre Ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3J7.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jolicœur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acoustic short-term memory; Contour; Event-related potentials; SAN; Sensory working memory; Sustained Anterior Negativity