Adaptive use of semantic representations and phonological representations in verbal memory maintenance

This study investigated the WLE under articulatory suppression and when following the semantic instruction in serial recall of words of high and low imageability. In addition, the study investigated whether the WLE is affected by individual differences in capacity for maintaining semantic representations that are measured by the synonym recognition task. The results demonstrated that the WLE disappeared when maintaining highly imageable words but was still observed when maintaining words of low imageability under articulatory suppression. Moreover, the semantic instruction eliminated the WLE only in individuals who could perform the synonym recognition task well. These results provide clues to understanding the adaptive use of semantic and phonological representations in verbal working memory.
Source: Journal of Memory and Language - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: research