Abstract:
The effects of talker variability were examined for spoken word recall. In this study, a serial word recall paradigm was used, with talker variability manipulated using single- and multiple-talker lists and with presentation rate varied using fast and slow conditions. In addition, memory rehearsal processes were examined via a continuous distractor task. Under no-distractor conditions, the results showed that primacy recall performance was better for single-talker lists compared to multiple-talker lists. Under distractor conditions, when presentation rate was fast, this difference remained. However, when presentation rate was slow, there was little difference in recall for single-talker versus multiple-talker lists. These results will be discussed in terms of the roles of rehearsal and encoding processes in the transfer of voice information to episodic memory for spoken words. [Work supported by NIH Grant No. DCO1667-03.]