| Abstract: | Factors effecting the memory capacity are basic to understanding sequential tasks. The evidence indicates immediate memory is sometimes subject to decay, but that interference from interpolated items has a much larger effect. Interference effects are particularly great when the S must hold items in store while responding to previously stored material within an ongoing serial task. The ability of S to use time to reorganize the stimuli for storage works against the decay tendency. Only in rare instances does S store a pure representation of the stimulus; rather he must be viewed as an active information handler applying his knowledge of the nature of the stimulus and response to reduce his memory load. (56 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
