| Abstract: | A speeded sequential same–different paradigm was used to measure the pattern goodness effect at a visual encoding stage and a short-term memory stage in observers aged from 6 to 22 years. Pairs of nine-dot patterns varying in goodness were presented to subjects in three experiments. Experiment 1 used a 1-s retention interval and found larger goodness effects in short-term memory than at encoding for all observers. Furthermore, the memory effects decreased with age, whereas no age change was observed for the encoding effects. Experiment 2 generalized these findings to other retention intervals (0 and 3 s). No age differences were found in the O-s condition, whereas the 3-s condition showed large changes with age. An unexpected result indicated that an additive model of encoding and memory could not be assumed. Experiment 3 used new subjects and a mixed-trials design to replicate this finding. It is suggested that pattern goodness may affect information processing at three stages: encoding, retention, and pattern comparison. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
