The Effect of Difficult Recognition on Accuracy of Recall: Evidence for Modality Specific Processing

Abstract

<p>Recall of visual or auditory first halves of lists of digits was reduced if auditory recognition of the second halves was made difficult by adding speech noise. Making visual recognition of the second halves difficult by adding visual overlay produced no such reduction of first half recall.</p> <p>The observed retroactive effect on retention caused by difficult auditory, but not difficult visual recognition, indicates that visual recognition is in one system while rehearsal and auditory recognition is in another. It also suggests that the correct explanation of the retroactive effect of auditory noise is that rehearsal and auditory recognition share processing capacity.</p>