Date of Award
1970
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Psychology
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to try to distinguish between the interference theory and trace decay theory and to try to establish whether one or a combination of the two best accounts for the forgetting shown in motor short-term memory (STM). The experiment was a seven by three factorial design with repeated measures on the second factor. The first factor was number of prior responses which the S experienced on the linear slide apparatus, and the number of responses ranged from zero through six. The second factor, length of the retention interval between practice and recall, had values of 5 sec., 40 sec., and 75 sec. Neither main effect of retention interval nor number of prior responses were significant. The interaction of retention interval and number of prior responses was also nonsignificant. No definite conclusions could be drawn from the present study, but other studies were considered and Pepper and Herman's recent two-process theory of motor STM was discussed.
Recommended Citation
Southall, Stephen David, "The role of interference and trace decay in the retention of a simple psychomotor task" (1970). Master's Theses. 1029.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/masters-theses/1029