Pool familiarity effects in verbal short-term memory: Implications for the notion of redintergration

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of pool familiarity on memory span for different languages (English/Malay), item lengths (short/long), and item types (words/numbers). Pool familiarity was manipulated in Experiment 1 such that there were 2 groups of participants: one trained on to-be-tested items (High Pool Familiarity or HPF condition), and the other trained on items outside the testing pools (Low Pool Familiarity or LPF condition). Pool familiarisation was largely successful in eliminating span differences for numbers and words, with one exception: item length differences for numbers remained in the HPF condition. Also unexpected was the unusually low recall of English 2-syllable words in the LPF condition. Experiment 2 examined the possibility that this was due to the greater phonological confusability of these words with other words in the mental lexicon. Results showed that confusability did not significantly predict word span differences. The implications of these findings, among others, were discussed in relation to the concept of redintegration.