Memory for rhythm and verbal serial recall
Debbora Hall, Susan Elizabeth Gathercole · UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) · 2009
In the following studies, the relative impact of temporal and verbal disruption on memory for non-verbal rhythms and verbal serial recall were examined. In Study 1 (N=25), undergraduates recalled rhythms and letters in a 2x3 within-subjects design under conditions of articulatory suppression, finger tapping, and a silent control. Articulatory suppression was most disruptive to both rhythm and letter recall, but rhythm recall was also significantly disturbed by paced finger tapping. In Study 2 (N=50), undergraduates recalled either rhythms or letters in a between-subjects design with 2x2x2 conditions of irrelevant sound consisting of speech or tones, syncopated or paced sound, and changing state or steady state sound. Speech was disruptive to both rhythms and letters, while changing state sound was uniquely disruptive to letter recall. The results are related to the common and distinct mechanisms involved in speech processing and rhythm, with particular attention to a shared reliance on temporal coding.