Suppression effects on musical and verbal memory

Schendel, Zachary A.; Palmer, Caroline

doi:10.3758/bf03193302

Cited by 45 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Our hypothesis was that pitch-distal sequences would be recalled more successfully than would music notation (Roberts, 1986;Schendel & Palmer, 2007). Such tasks are unsuitable for the majority of people, who are not trained musicians.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musicians' and nonmusicians' short-term memory for verbal and musical sequences: Comparing phonological similarity and pitch proximity

2010

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There is a long scientific tradition of examining the similarities between language and music (Darwin, 1871;Patel, 2008). Studying commonalities between how language and musical sounds are processed affords more opportunities to learn about how we interact with the auditory environment than are available from studying either domain in isolation (Callan et al., 2006;Koelsch et al., 2009;Kraus & Banai, 2007;Patel, 2009;Peretz & Zatorre, 2005;Wong, Skoe, Russo, Dees, & Kraus, 2007). In the present article, we compare the serial recall of speech and music from short-term memory.The first reason for choosing short-term memory for a language-music comparison is that much is known about the operation of auditory-verbal serial recall. For simplicity, we present our studies within a single broad theoretical framework-the multicomponent workingmemory model (Baddeley, 2000;Baddeley & Hitch, 1974)-although we acknowledge that they could be fitted into other frameworks developed to explain processing in short-term memory. The working-memory model comprises an attention-controlling central executive and three subsystems: the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the episodic buffer. The phonological loop is associated with the processing of speechlike information. It comprises a passive phonological store, which acts as a temporary holding center for speech-based information, and an articulatory rehearsal process, during which incoming visual information can be recoded and rehearsed using a phonological code (Baddeley, 2007). In the present research, we question whether the phonological loop also may be capable of processing musical stimuli.A second reason for focusing the language-music comparison within short-term memory is the importance of verbal short-term memory for a range of higher cognitive abilities. These include the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar (Baddeley, Papagno, & Vallar, 1988;Gathercole & Baddeley, 1990), reading (Baddeley, Gathercole, & Papagno, 1998), and action control (Baddeley, Chincotta, & Adlam, 2001;Liefooghe, Barouillet, Vandierendonck, & Camos, 2008;Miyake et al., 2000). An empirical investigation of language and music processing in shortterm memory therefore has the potential to encourage investigations into the role of musical short-term memory in equivalent domain cognitive abilities (e.g., reading music Language-music comparative studies have highlighted the potential for shared resources or neural overlap in auditory short-term memory. However, there is a lack of behavioral methodologies for comparing verbal and musical serial recall. We developed a visual grid response that allowed both musicians and nonmusicians to perform serial recall of letter and tone sequences. The new method was used to compare the phonological similarity effect with the impact of an operationalized musical equivalent-pitch proximity. Over the course of three experiments, we found that short-term memory for tones had several similarities to verbal memory, including limited capacity and a significant ...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musicians' and nonmusicians' short-term memory for verbal and musical sequences: Comparing phonological similarity and pitch proximity

2010

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“…For example, recognition of binary sequences (i.e., patterns of low and high tones or patterns of blue and yellow lights) resulted in very similarly shaped serial position memory functions and similar temporal decay functions for auditory and visual conditions, despite overall better performance for auditory sequences (McFarland & Cacace, 1995). In a study comparing articulatory suppression effects (i.e., impairment of memory for study material due to vocally producing irrelevant sound), a similar disruption of memory occurred for verbal (lists of numbers) and musical (melodic sequences) material, whether the material was presented in the visual (printed numbers or notes on a musical staff) or auditory (spoken numbers or tones) modality (Schendel & Palmer, 2007). Furthermore, visual distraction stimuli (black-and-white checkerboard grids) interfered only with memory for visual note sequences, unless participants were encouraged to translate auditory stimuli into a visual code, in which case the visual distraction impaired memory for all the stimuli.…”

Section: Short-term Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A related issue is whether dynamic stimuli are better remembered when presented in one modality, as compared with the other modality. Previous studies comparing short-term auditory and visual memory have shown that there is a memory advantage for sequential auditory stimuli (as compared with sequential visual stimuli), such as when people try to recognize or recall verbal material, musical material, or binary sequences (e.g., Crowder, 1986;Degelder & Vroomen, 1992;Duis, Dean & Derks 1994;Henmon, 1912;McFarland & Cacace, 1995;Roberts, 1986;Schendel & Palmer, 2007; for theoretical treatments, see Crowder & Morton, 1969;Glenberg & Swanson, 1986;Penney, 1989; for a comprehensive review of the older literature, see Penney, 1975). This well-studied auditory advantage, often called the modality effect, is often the result of a greater recency effect for auditory stimuli, but some studies have shown a more general auditory advantage throughout comparable lists from the two modalities (e.g., spoken vs. visually presented digits).…”

Section: Short-term Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Memory for sound, with an ear toward hearing in complex auditory scenes

Snyder

Gregg

2011

Atten Percept Psychophys

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An area of research that has experienced recent growth is the study of memory during perception of simple and complex auditory scenes. These studies have provided important information about how well auditory objects are encoded in memory and how well listeners can notice changes in auditory scenes. These are significant developments because they present an opportunity to better understand how we hear in realistic situations, how higher-level aspects of hearing such as semantics and prior exposure affect perception, and the similarities and differences between auditory perception and perception in other modalities, such as vision and touch. The research also poses exciting challenges for behavioral and neural models of how auditory perception and memory work.

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“…Participants were administered tone lists of increasing length (from three to six items) with four different trials per length condition. The administration of shorter sequences for the musical STM task, as compared to the verbal serial order reconstruction task, was motivated by the fact that STM capacities are overall lower for musical than for verbal stimuli, and this particularly true in nonmusician participants (Gorin, Kowialiewski, & Majerus, 2016;Schendel & Palmer, 2007;Schulze, Mueller, & Koelsch, 2011;Williamson, Mitchell, Hitch, & Baddeley, 2010). In order to ensure the familiarization with task requirements, participants were provided with three practice trials before starting the task.…”

Section: Design and Procedurementioning

confidence: 99%