Cardiff Metropolitan University
Browse

Distraction control processes in free recall: Benefits and costs to performance

Download (610.73 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2022-04-05, 16:01 authored by John E. Marsh, Patrik Sörqvist, Helen Hodgetts, C. Philip Beaman, Dylan M Jones
How is semantic memory influenced by individual differences under conditions of distraction? This question was addressed by observing how visual target words—drawn from a single category—were recalled whilst ignoring spoken distracter words that were either members of the same, or members of a different (single) category. Distracter words were presented either synchronously or asynchronously with target words. Recall performance was correlated with participants’ working memory capacity (WMC), which was taken to be an index of the capacity for distracter inhibition. Distraction was greater from semantically similar words and distraction was greater when the words were presented synchronously. WMC was related to disruption only with synchronous, not asynchronous, presentation. Subsequent experiments found more distracter inhibition – as measured by subsequent negative priming of distracters – amongst individuals with higher WMC but this may be dependent on targets and distracters being comparable category exemplars: With less dominant category members as distracters, target recall was impaired – relative to control – only amongst individuals with low WMC. The results demonstrate distracter inhibition occurring only in conditions where target-distracter selection is challenging. Inhibition incurs costs to subsequent performance, but there is an immediate price for not inhibiting

History

Published in

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition

Publisher

American Psychological Association

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Citation

Marsh, J.E., Sörqvist, P., Hodgetts, H.M., Beaman, C.P. and Jones, D.M. (2015) 'Distraction control processes in free recall: Benefits and costs to performance', Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 41(1), p.118-133

Print ISSN

0022-1015

Cardiff Met Affiliation

  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences

Cardiff Met Authors

Helen M. Hodgetts

Cardiff Met Research Centre/Group

  • Applied Psychology and Behaviour Change

Copyright Holder

  • © The Publisher

Language

  • en

Usage metrics

    Population Risk & Healthcare - Journal Articles

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC