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.

Sources and mechanisms of modality-specific distraction in visual short-term memory

“…Additionally, more directly comparing RI for different types of visual stimuli could be useful. As noted above, some studies are based on memory for individual visual features, whereas others use more complex objects, and this may influence distraction (see also Bancroft et al, 2016). Some of the more robust demonstrations of similarity-based RI concern memory for very specific features, like spatial frequency (e.g., Magnussen et al, 1991).…”