Computational Explorations of the Irrelevant Sound Effect in Serial ShortTerm Memory..pdfVIP

Computational Explorations of the Irrelevant Sound Effect in Serial Short-Term Memory. C. Philip Beaman (c.p.beaman@reading.ac.uk) Department of Psychology University of Reading Earley Gate, Whiteknights Reading RG6 6AL Abstract short-term memory based around the idea that the items most likely to be recalled from a list are those items which Although a number of current models of immediate serial are most distinctive (Nairne, 1988). The model has been recall exist, only one published model (Neath, 1999, 2000) applied to a number of short-term memory phenomena incorporates simulations of the disruption of immediate serial including modality differences, interference from concurrent recall by irrelevant background sound. This paper explores a articulation and from post-list stimulus suffixes (Nairne, possible model of irrelevant sound effects derived from Neath (1999) and applies the results of the model to previously 1990), the word-length effect (Neath Nairne, 1995), and unconsidered data sets. Studies by Neath (1999, 2000) apply latterly the irrelevant sound effect (Neath, 1999, 2000). the feature model, a mathematical model of short-term memory (Nairne, 1990), to some basic data regarding the The Feature Model irrelevant sound effect but this approach is ultimately limited by im