Word length effects are not due to proactive interference

Article

Tehan, Gerald and Turcotte, Josée. 2002. "Word length effects are not due to proactive interference." Memory. 10 (2), pp. 139-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210143000272
Article Title

Word length effects are not due to proactive interference

ERA Journal ID6514
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsTehan, Gerald (Author) and Turcotte, Josée (Author)
Journal TitleMemory
Journal Citation10 (2), pp. 139-150
Number of Pages12
Year2002
Place of PublicationHove, UK
ISSN0965-8211
1464-0686
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210143000272
Web Address (URL)http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/(1ziokk55g5byabn5viw5b545)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,6,7;journal,32,65;linkingpublicationresults,1:101897,1;
Abstract

[Abstract]: In immediate serial recall short words are better recalled than long words. The word length effect has become pivotal in the development of short-term memory models. The current research tests one explanation of the word length effect; that it is related to proactive interference (PI). We report two experiments in which the relationship is directly tested. In the first experiment we show that word length effects can be observed over the first few trials in an experiment and that the effect shows itself primarily in the number of omissions made. In the second experiment we simultaneously test for PI and word length effects. Strong word length effects were present but there was little evidence for PI influencing either overall levels of recall or the word length effect. In short, no empirical support was found for PI as an explanation of the word length effect.

Keywordsword length, short-term memory, proactive interference
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020520102. Educational psychology
Public Notes

File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author.

Byline AffiliationsDepartment of Psychology
Laval University, Canada
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