Repetition inhibition and facilitation effects for visual-verbal stimuli under conditions of concurrent articulation

Abstract

This study examines the effects of within-sequence repetitions for visually presented consonants under conditions of quiet and concurrent articulation (CA). In an immediate serial recall (ISR) procedure, participants wrote down the six consonants in the order of original presentation. CA reduced serial recall and abolished the phonological similarity effect. However, the effects of within-trial repetitions were broadly similar under quiet and CA. Specifically, adjacent repetitions facilitated recall of the repeated item, whereas spaced repetitions (separated by three intervening items) impaired recall accuracy for the repeated item (i.e., the Ranschburg effect). These data are the first to demonstrate the Ranschburg effect for visual-verbal stimuli under CA.

Tactile memory Ranschburg effects under conditions of concurrent articulation

“…Specifically, using a tactile ISR task, we have demonstrated recall inhibition for a repeated item when that item is separated by two intervening items (the Ranschburg effect). This finding is consistent with a number of studies showing the effect for recall of verbal sequences (e.g., Crowder, 1968; Duncan & Lewandowsky, 2005; Henson, 1998a; Jahnke, 1969; Johnson et al, 2018; Maylor & Henson, 2000). Second, we have reported a Ranschburg effect of equivalent magnitude under conditions of both quiet and CA.…”

“…Under the CA condition, the phonological similarity effect (PSE) was abolished—a finding taken to reflect disruption to the process of phonological recoding of the visually presented consonant sequences (e.g., Baddeley, Lewis, & Vallar, 1984). Importantly, despite the purportedly degraded phonological representations of the consonant sequences, Johnson et al (2018) demonstrated a Ranschburg effect of comparable magnitude under conditions of both quiet and CA.…”

“…As described previously (e.g., Armstrong & Mewhort, 1995; Duncan & Lewandowsky, 2005; Henson, 1998a; Johnson et al, 2018; Roe et al, 2017), the dependent variable for the repetition analysis was delta. This is calculated by computing the proportion of trials for which the two repeated items were recalled in their correct serial positions [P( r )] and subtracting the proportion of trials for which the corresponding items in the control trials were correctly recalled in their correct serial positions [P( c )].…”

“…A recent study (Johnson, Hawley, & Miles, 2018) examined the Ranschburg effect for ISR of visually presented consonant sequences under conditions of both quiet and concurrent articulation (CA). Under the CA condition, the phonological similarity effect (PSE) was abolished—a finding taken to reflect disruption to the process of phonological recoding of the visually presented consonant sequences (e.g., Baddeley, Lewis, & Vallar, 1984).…”

“…Notwithstanding the use of CA, and the resilience of the Ranschburg effect in Johnson et al (2018), their to-be-remembered sequences comprised verbal stimuli. In an attempt to minimise further the probability for verbal recoding of the to-be-remembered sequences, Roe, Miles, and Johnson (2017) tested ISR for tactile sequences.…”