Role of Verbal Representations in Testing Recognition of Naturalistic Sounds

Abstract

This paper reports two experiments concerned with verbal representations in the test stage of recognition memory for naturalistic sounds. In Study I 10 subjects produced verbal descriptions to 50 sounds and after a 7-day delay 5 subjects reviewed self-produced verbal descriptions while 5 did not prior to testing for recognition. Review of descriptions increased recognition to 94.4% compared to 88.5% for those with no review. In Study II 16 subjects produced verbal descriptions to 50 naturalistic sounds. After a 7-day delay all subjects reviewed descriptions of one-half of the items which were “targets” and 8 subjects reviewed descriptions of 25 “non-targeted” items. The latter condition produced interference, observed as a significant decrement in recognition from 90.3% to 86.5%.