Absence of a Cross-Modal “Suffix Effect” in Short-Term Memory

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Three experiments are reported involving the presentation of lists of either letters or digits for immediate serial recall. The main variable was the presence or absence of a suffix-prefix, an item (tick or cross) occurring at the end of the list which had to be copied before recall of the stimulus list. With auditory stimuli and an auditory suffix-prefix there was a large and selective increase in the number of errors on the last few serial positions—the typical “suffix effect”. The suffix effect was not found with auditory stimuli and a visual suffix-prefix nor with a visual stimulus and an auditory suffix-prefix. These results are interpreted as supporting a model for short-term memory proposed by Crowder and Morton (1969) in which it is suggested that with serial recall information concerning the final items following auditory presentation has a different, precategorical, origin from that concerning other items.

This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit: