Author: Ann R. Bradlow, Lynne C. Nygaard, and David B. Pisoni
Abstract:
This study investigated the encoding of spoken words using a continuous
recognition memory task. In Experiment 1, subjects judged whether each word in a list of
spoken words was "old" (had occurred previously in the list) or "new." Subjects were more
accurate at recognizing a word as "old" if it was repeated in the same voice, and at the
same speaking rate; however, there was no recognition advantage for words repeated at the
same overall amplitude. In Experiment 2, if subjects judged a word as "old" they were then
required to provide an additional explicit judgment as to whether it was repeated in the
same voice, rate, or amplitude. Subjects again showed an advantage in recognition memory for
words repeated in the same voice and same speaking rate, but no advantage occurred for the
amplitude condition. However, in all three conditions, subjects were able to detect whether
an "old" word was repeated in the same voice, rate or amplitude. These data suggest that
information about all three properties of spoken words is encoded and retained in memory and
can be used in recognition tasks requiring explicit judgments.