Accessibility navigation


The irrelevant sound phenomenon revisited: what role for working memory capacity?

Beaman, C. P. (2004) The irrelevant sound phenomenon revisited: what role for working memory capacity? Journal of Experimental Psychology-Learning Memory and Cognition, 30 (5). pp. 1106-1118. ISSN 0278-7393

Full text not archived in this repository.

It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from this work. See Guidance on citing.

To link to this item DOI: 10.1037/0278-7393.30.5.1106

Abstract/Summary

High-span individuals (as measured by the operation span [CSPAN] technique) are less likely than low-span individuals to notice their own names in an unattended auditory stream (A. R. A. Conway, N. Cowan, & M F. Bunting, 2001). The possibility that OSPAN accounts for individual differences in auditory distraction on an immediate recall test was examined. There was no evidence that high-OSPAN participants were more resistant to the disruption caused by irrelevant speech in serial or in free recall. Low-OSPAN participants did, however, make more semantically related intrusion errors from the irrelevant sound stream in a free recall test (Experiment 4). Results suggest that OSPAN mediates semantic components of auditory distraction dissociable from other aspects of the irrelevant sound effect.

Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Divisions:Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences
ID Code:14169
Uncontrolled Keywords:SHORT-TERM-MEMORY, CHANGING-STATE HYPOTHESIS, IMMEDIATE MEMORY, INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES, UNATTENDED SPEECH, SERIAL-RECALL, VERBAL, MEMORY, DISRUPTION, SUPPRESSION, MODALITY

University Staff: Request a correction | Centaur Editors: Update this record

Page navigation