Two experiments are reported in which subjects performed simple mental arithmetic problems which were presented visually in a sequential fashion. At some point in the presentation of each problem, the sequential display was interrupted and a memory task introduced. The purpose was to validate a measure of transient memory load. (Author/RM)

A Markov model was proposed to account for the short-term retention of the spatial arrangement of letters. The model was fit to three spatial location recall conditions in experiments which differed in distractor task. The rate of information transfer from primary to secondary memory was affected by changes in distractor task. (SW)

Research done while the first author was on a Science Scholarship from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC); research also supported by an NRC grant to the second author; forms part of Shannon Moeser's doctoral thesis submitted to McGill University. (VM)

Predictions derived from an organizational interpretation of transfer in a part-whole free-recall paradigm were tested via a procedure which allowed manipulation of part- and whole-list organizational compatibility and extent of part-list organization. (Author/SW)

Three new experiments concerning the depth-of-processing view demonstrate that repetition at the phonemic depth of processing does facilitate memory, regardless of whether the repetitions are massed or distributed and regardless of whether the dependent variable is uncued recall, cued recall or recognition. (Author/RM)

Presents a "procedural view" of the learning mind, arguing against previous theories citing physical properties as its basis. A more process-oriented view of information processing is offered, which describes "mind" in terms of skill in manipulating symbols, and the notion of skills is shown to provide a useful framework for accounting for…

Describes a study of the recall of narrative prose. Serial structure at first influenced which elements were remembered, but as the Ss remembered more, the story grammar structure became the dominant influence over the elements remembered. (Author/RM)

A model is proposed in which information processing is accompanied by dynamic processes, including the reorganization of items into active patterns and their subsequent displacement. Research using category names and instances showed that reaction times decreased with each successive repetition under one condition, but longer latencies were…

Analysis of storage, retention and retrieval in standard free recall, extended free recall, and repeated recall after a single presentation indicates that most recall failures are retrieval failures, and that extended recall decreases retrieval failure and increases consistent retrieval. (Author/RM)

This study examined how people use inferences to aid comprehension of connected discourse. (Author/RM)

Research part of a Senior Honors Thesis submitted to Kent State University by Patricia Sorce, who was a National Science Foundation Undergraduate Research Participant while conducting this research. (VM)

Examines the inhibition of recall of list items when extralist items are introduced, and describes experiments which suggest that this is an expression of a more general inhibition phenomenon. (Author/AM)

A study is reported describing an output-monitoring phenomenon in free recall and establishing that subjects have accurate knowledge concerning their previous output performance. Implications with respect to other known memory phenomena are discussed. (Author/RM)

Reports on two experiments which question the assumption that semantic processing is superior to nonsemantic processing, and which demonstrate that effective semantic elaboration cannot be equated with the quantity of semantically congrous information. (Author/AM)

Two experiments that study subjects' memory for active and passive sentences are reported. A reaction time methodology is used to measure subjects' memory for verbatim information about the sentence. Retention of verbatim information displays traditional short-term versus long-term discontinuity. (CHK)