The Effect of Background Noise on Immediate Free Recall of Words in Younger and Older Listeners with Hearing Loss

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 701-707
Author(s):  
Jung-sun Hwang ◽  
Yukyeong Jung ◽  
Jae Hee Lee
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Free Recall ◽  
Serial Position ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Serial Position Curve ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Position Effects ◽  
Listening Condition

Abstract Background Auditory working memory is a crucial factor for complex cognitive tasks such as speech-in-noise understanding because speech communication in noise engages multiple auditory and cognitive capacities to encode, store, and retrieve information. An immediate free recall task of words has been used frequently as a measure of auditory working memory capacity. Purpose The present study investigated performance on the immediate free recall of words in quiet and noisy conditions for hearing-impaired listeners. Research Design Fifty hearing-impaired listeners (30 younger and 20 older) participated in this study. Lists of 10 phonetically and lexically balanced words were presented with a fixed presentation rate in quiet and noise conditions. Target words were presented at an individually determined most comfortable level (MCL). Participants were required to recall as many of the words in an arbitrary order immediately after the end of the list. Serial position curves were determined from the accuracy of free recall as a function of the word position in the sequence. Data Collection and Analysis Three-way analyses of variance with repeated measures were conducted on the percent-correct word recall scores, with two independent within-group factors (serial position and listening condition) and a between-group factor (younger, older). Results A traditional serial position curve was found in hearing-impaired listeners, yet the serial position effects depended on the listening condition. In quiet, the listeners with hearing loss were likely to recall more words from the initial and final positions compared with the middle-position words. In multi-talker babble noise, more difficulties were observed when recalling the words in the initial position compared with the words in the final position. Conclusion Without a noise, a traditional U-shaped serial position curve consisting of primacy and recency effects was observed from hearing-impaired listeners, in accord with previous findings from normal-hearing listeners. The adverse impact of background noise was more pronounced in the primacy effect than in the recency effect.

Primacy and Recency in Recognition of Odours and Recall of Odour Names

1995 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 787-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith M. Annett ◽  
Alan W. Lorimer
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Serial Position ◽  
Serial Position Curve ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Elaboration Condition

This study examined the serial position curve for recognition of odours and recall of odour names, both with and without instructions for verbal elaboration. Participants were allocated to one of two experimental conditions, either with instructions to rehearse verbally the stimuli or with no elaboration instructions. After presentation of 17 odours, either recognition or free recall of the odours was tested immediately after presentation of the last target odour. Recognition showed evidence of primacy for the verbal elaboration condition and recency for both instruction conditions. Recall of odour names showed evidence of primacy for the verbal elaboration conditions and recency for both conditions. Instructions to verbalize did not significantly affect over-all performance for either test condition.

Primacy and Recency Effects in Immediate Free Recall of Sequences of Spatial Positions

2007 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 483-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Bonanni ◽  
Patrizio Pasqualetti ◽  
Carlo Caltagirone ◽  
Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Serial Position ◽  
Serial Position Curve ◽  
Presentation Rate ◽  
Recency Effect ◽  
Primacy Effect ◽  
Spatial Position ◽  
Recency Effects ◽  
Task Requirement ◽  
Recall Paradigm

This study evaluated the serial position curve based on free recall of spatial position sequences. To evaluate the memory processes underlying spatial recall, some manipulations were introduced by varying the length of spatial sequences (Exp. 1) and modifying the presentation rate of individual positions (Exp. 2). A primacy effect emerged for all sequence lengths, while a recency effect was evident only in the longer sequences. Moreover, slowing the presentation rate increased the magnitude of the primacy effect and abolished the recency effect. The main novelty of the present results is represented by the finding that better recall of early items in a sequence of spatial positions does not depend on the task requirement of an ordered recall but it can also be observed in a free recall paradigm.

scholarly journals Animate and Inanimate Words Demonstrate Equivalent Retrieval Dynamics Despite the Occurrence of the Animacy Advantage

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Serra
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Serial Position ◽  
Word Type ◽  
Temporal Organization ◽  
Free Recall Task ◽  
Position Effects ◽  
Serial Position Effects ◽  
Specific Memory ◽  
Memory Advantage ◽  
Categorical Clustering

People demonstrate a memory advantage for animate (living) concepts over inanimate (nonliving) concepts in a variety of memory tasks, including free recall, but we do not know the mechanism(s) that produces this effect. We compared the retrieval dynamics (serial-position effects, probability of first recall, output order, categorical clustering, and recall contiguity) of animate and inanimate words in a typical free recall task to help elucidate this effect. Participants were more likely to recall animate than inanimate words, but we found few, if any, differences in retrieval dynamics by word type. The animacy advantage was obtained across serial position, including occurring in both the primacy and recency regions of the lists. Participants were equally likely to recall an animate or inanimate word first on the tests and did not prioritize recalling words of one type earlier in retrieval or demonstrate strong clustering by animacy at recall. Participants showed some greater contiguity of recall for inanimate words, but this outcome ran counter to the animacy effect. Together, the results suggest that the animacy advantage stems from increased item-specific memory strength for animate over inanimate words and is unlikely to stem from intentional or strategic differences in encoding or retrieval by word type, categorical strategies, or differences in temporal organization. Although the present results do not directly support or refute any current explanations for the animacy advantage, we suggest that measures of retrieval dynamics can help to inspire or constrain future accounts for this effect and can be incorporated into relevant hypothesis testing.

Influence of Rehearsal on Serial-Position Effects in Immediate Free Recall

1969 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 893-894
Author(s):  
Jeffrey R Sampson
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Serial Position ◽  
Recall Performance ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Position Effects ◽  
Serial Position Effects ◽  
Line Drawings ◽  
Learning Set

48 male Ss were presented 24 items, half as words and half as simple line drawings, with or without instructions to try to remember them. Ss given a learning set reported rehearsing items during stimulus presentation, while non-set Ss did not. Free recall performance showed a serial-position factor which interacted with the set-non-set condition; primacy was much stronger and recency somewhat weaker for the rehearsing (set) Ss. This result supports conjectures of other investigators concerning the effects of rehearsal on serial position phenomena.

Within-list serial position effects in free recall.

1976 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Gorfein ◽  
Christopher Arbak ◽  
Robert V. Phillips ◽  
Linda Squillace
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Serial Position ◽  
Position Effects ◽  
Serial Position Effects

scholarly journals The effects of spatial, temporal, and control variables on the free-recall serial position curve of retardates and equal-MA normals

1975 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman H. Spitz ◽  
John J. Winters ◽  
Shirley J. Johnson ◽  
Janice G. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Serial Position ◽  
Serial Position Curve ◽  
Control Variables ◽  
And Control

Word Recognition Functions for the CID W-22 Test in Multitalker Noise for Normally Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Subjects

1989 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall C. Beattie
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Conventional Tests ◽  
Recognition Function ◽  
Recognition Testing ◽  
Insight Into

Word recognition functions for Auditee recordings of the CID W-22 stimuli in multitalker noise were obtained using subjects with normal hearing and with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. In the first experiment, word recognition functions were generated by varying the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N); whereas in the second experiment, a constant S/N was used and stimulus intensity was varied. The split-half reliability of word recognition scores for the normal-hearing and hearing-impaired groups revealed variability that agreed closely with predictions based on the simple binomial distribution. Therefore, the binomial model appears appropriate for estimating the variability of word recognition scores whether they are obtained in quiet or in a competing background noise. The reliability for threshold (50% point) revealed good stability. The slope of the recognition function was steeper for normal listeners than for the hearing-impaired subjects. Word recognition testing in noise can provide insight into the problems imposed by hearing loss, particularly when evaluating patients with mild hearing loss who exhibit no difficulties with conventional tests. Clinicians should employ a sufficient number of stimuli so that the test is adequately sensitive to differences among listening conditions.

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