Order recall in verbal short-term memory: The role of semantic networks

Abstract

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link:http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/4660/ Link to published version: http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/s13421-014- Copyright and reuse: City Research Online aims to make research outputs of City, University of London available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the author(s) and/or copyright holders. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to. AbstractIn their recent paper, Acheson, MacDonald, and Postle (2011) made an important but controversial suggestion: they hypothesised that a) semantic information has an effect on order information in short-term memory (STM) and b) that order recall in STM is based on the level of activation of items within the relevant lexico-semantic long-term memory (LTM) network.However, verbal STM research typically has led to the conclusion that factors such as semantic category have a large effect on the number of correctly recalled items and little or no impact on order recall (Poirier & Saint-Aubin, 1995;Tse, 2009;Saint-Aubin, Ouellette, & Poirier, 2005).Moreover most formal models of short-term order memory currently suggest a separate mechanism for order coding -that is one that is separate from item representation and not associated with long-term memory lexico-semantic networks. Both of the studies reported here We are all familiar the experience of reading a paper in our field of expertise. Expressions are recognised, some arguments and ideas are anticipated, and grasping the experimental logic is facilitated by our understanding of the strategies in the area. Our previous knowledge of the constituents of the paper significantly supports our understanding of the work. In important ways, this example illustrates one of the most fundamental functions that memory performs:allowing the past to support and guide our present interactions with the world. This is the issue that motivated the current work; the studies reported here examine the interaction between semantic knowledge and the last few seconds of our most recent past -the content of verbal short-term memory (STM).Here, STM is viewed as a less general system than working memory. More specifically, STM is defined as the system that carries out the temporary maintenance of information necessary for many mental or cognitive operations and tasks (Baddeley, 1986). Generally, STM is recognised and playing an important role in everyday cognition (Majerus, 2009;Cowan, 1999). Moreover, the role of STM for order has also been highlighted in cognitive development and in particular in learning new words (Cowan, 1999;Majerus & Boukebza, 2013). One of the roles of STM that is regarded as central is the short-term maintenance of the order of events (Majerus, 2009). As a simple example, consider keying in a new security code, address, or phone number. These can of course be written down, but even in order to do so, they must be maintained in order long eno...

The heterogeneity of verbal short-term memory impairment in aphasia

“…This view is also shared by the linguistic account proposed by N. Saffran (1992, 1997), which considers that primacy and recency effects during serial recall are supported by semantic and phonological levels of activation, respectively. This is supported by recent findings showing that serial order recall can also be influenced by semantic variables under some conditions (Acheson, MacDonald & Postle, 2011;Poirier, Saint-Aubin, Mair, Tehan, & Tolan, 2015). Martin and Saffran (1997) also showed that aphasic patients with phonological impairment tend to present reduced recency effects in word/nonword repetition, while patients with semantic impairment tend to present reduced primacy effects.…”

Perspectives on working memory: introduction to the special issue

“…This hypothesis would be interesting to explore in future research. Poirier, Saint-Aubin, Mair, Tehan, and Tolan (2015) report evidence for a contribution from the semantic properties of verbal items to the retention of the serial order of verbal lists. This contrasts with previous research on immediate serial recall, and with some models of serial order that have assumed a long-term memory contribution to memory for items, but not for order.…”

Verbal Working Memory as Emergent from Language Comprehension and Production

“…A number of studies have investigated semantic-phonological interactions termed semantic binding, the finding that lexico-semantic knowledge affects the nature of phonological representations in VWM and other tasks (e.g., Patterson et al, 1994;Hoffman et al, 2009;Savill et al, 2017). Relatedly, Acheson and colleagues conducted several studies suggesting that phonological and semantic information jointly affect serial order in VWM tasks in a way that would be expected from how information interacts in comprehension and production (Acheson et al, 2010(Acheson et al, , 2011b; see also Poirier et al, 2014). Similarly, Macken et al (2014) investigated the memory implications for prosody, the intonation patterns that span whole phrases and sentences in everyday language use, in VWM tasks.…”