Most prior investigations of visual working memory (VWM) presented the to-be-remembered items simultaneously in a static configuration (e.g., Luck & Vogel, 1997). However, in everyday situations, such as driving on a busy multilane highway, items (e.g., cars) are presented sequentially and must be retained to support later actions (e.g., knowing if it’s safe to change lanes). In a simultaneous presentation, the relative positions of items are apparent but for sequential presentation, relative positions must be inferred in relation to the background structure (e.g., highway lane markings). To examine sequential encoding in VWM, we developed a novel task in which dots were presented slowly, one at a time, with each dot appearing in one of six boxes (Experiment 1), or in invisible boxes within a visible encompassing outer frame (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 found strong recency effects for judgments of color at the end of the sequence but not for the location of dots. In contrast, without dividing lines, Experiment 2 found strong recency effects for both color and location judgments. These results held true for accuracy, reaction time, and an integrated measure of speed and accuracy. We hypothesize that background structure allows the updating of VWM, slotting each new item into that structure to provide a new configuration that retains both old and new items, whereas in the absence of structure, VWM suffers from severe retroactive interference.

A series of 5 experiments investigated whether false memory in associated word lists present with serial position effects (SPE) and how any such effects behave in response to manipulations of true recall SPE. Recall for a series of events is typified by SPE such that items nearer the beginning, primacy effect, and end, recency effect, of a series are remembered better than middle items. Recall is also typified by the intrusion of falsely remembered information. Word-lists segmented into trimesters of either semantically (e.g., hot, snow, warm.../ bed, rest, awake.../ looking, lens, shatter...) or phonologically (e.g., code, called, fold.../ sweep, sleet, steep.../ class, grass, glad...) associated words produced false recall (e.g., cold, sleep, glass), allowing for the simultaneous investigation of SPE for true and false recall. Typical SPE for true recall were observed for each of the five Experiments. For immediate free recall, semantic false recall declined from early to late study trimesters whereas phonological false recall displayed a false primacy and recency effect similar to true recall SPE. Phonological false recall was significantly reduced when a 15 second distractor task was implemented during the retention interval. Dividing attention during study using a concurrent handwriting task reduced true recall whereas semantic false recall increased at primacy and phonological false recall increased at recency. This suggests distinct processes underlying the two forms of false recall. Dividing attention using an articulatory suppression task produced less true recall and less false recall than using concurrent handwriting. This research indicates that false recall SPE exist and that the semantic and phonological forms of false recall SPE are distinct. Current theories of false memory and of true recall SPE are considered.

A series of 5 experiments investigated whether false memory in associated word lists present with serial position effects (SPE) and how any such effects behave in response to manipulations of true recall SPE. Recall for a series of events is typified by SPE such that items nearer the beginning, primacy effect, and end, recency effect, of a series are remembered better than middle items. Recall is also typified by the intrusion of falsely remembered information. Word-lists segmented into trimesters of either semantically (e.g., hot, snow, warm.../ bed, rest, awake.../ looking, lens, shatter...) or phonologically (e.g., code, called, fold.../ sweep, sleet, steep.../ class, grass, glad...) associated words produced false recall (e.g., cold, sleep, glass), allowing for the simultaneous investigation of SPE for true and false recall. Typical SPE for true recall were observed for each of the five Experiments. For immediate free recall, semantic false recall declined from early to late study trimesters whereas phonological false recall displayed a false primacy and recency effect similar to true recall SPE. Phonological false recall was significantly reduced when a 15 second distractor task was implemented during the retention interval. Dividing attention during study using a concurrent handwriting task reduced true recall whereas semantic false recall increased at primacy and phonological false recall increased at recency. This suggests distinct processes underlying the two forms of false recall. Dividing attention using an articulatory suppression task produced less true recall and less false recall than using concurrent handwriting. This research indicates that false recall SPE exist and that the semantic and phonological forms of false recall SPE are distinct. Current theories of false memory and of true recall SPE are considered.

Mycket av vår kognitiva förmåga beror på lagringen och bearbetande av meningen olika objekt, ord eller handlingar innefattar. Denna mening kallas för semantik där semantik inom arbetsminne har till största del ignorerats och istället tillskrivits långtids semantiskt minne. Med användning Baddley och Hitch model av arbetsminne är målet av denna studie att tillskriva semantisk bearbetning till en komponent inom modellen, undersöka skillnader mellan typer av semantiskt material till episodiskt material och hur dessa är påverkade av seriella positionseffekter. Relaterad semantik, orelaterad semantik och episodiskt material var inkluderade i studien och var representerade av ord-par. 42 deltagare, med användningen av en bekvämlighetsurvalsmetod, blev slumpmässigt tilldelade ett av tre experimentella förhållanden designade för att förändra mängden material som de kan memorera. Det första experimentella förhållandet fastställde att med direkt återkallelse hade semantiskt material högre grad av återkallelse än episodiskt material. Det andra experimentella förhållandet visade att effekten av artikulatoriskt undertryckande (articulatory suppression) inte signifikant sänker mängden som memorerat. Det tredje förhållandet demonstrerade att fördröjd återkallelse signifikant förminskade mängden orelaterad semantik. Dessa resultat visade att semantiskt material återkallas till högre grad men relaterad semantik och orelaterad semantik lagras av olika system då orelaterad semantik är påverkad av förfall (decay) eller störning (interference). Resultaten visade betydelsen av att använda simpelt och precist språk för att ge ett mer effektivt sätt att memorera och lära sig. / Much of our cognitive abilities rely on maintaining and processing the meaning of different objects, words or actions. This meaning is known as semantics however, the use of semantics in working memory have been mostly ignored and instead attributed to long-term semantic memory. Using Baddeley and Hitch’s model of working memory this study aims to attribute semantic maintenance to a component within the model, examine differences between types of semantic material to episodic material and how these were affected by serial position effects. Related semantics, unrelated semantics and episodic material were included in the study which were all represented by word-pairs. 42 participants, using a convenience sampling method, were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions designed to alter the amount of material memorized. The first experimental condition, by using immediate recall, demonstrated that semantic materials had a significantly superior recall rate than episodic materials. The second experimental condition showed that the effect articulatory suppression didn’t significantly reduce the amount memorized. The third condition demonstrated that delayed recall significantly reduced the amount of unrelated semantics. These findings showed that semantic materials had superior recall but related and unrelated semantic material were found to be maintained by different systems as unrelated material was subject to decay or interference. The results showed the importance using simple and precise language to provide a more effective way to memorize and learn.