编码方式对汉字短时记忆提取的影响

Coding effects on retrieving Chinese characters from short-term memory

短时记忆提取是认知心理学研究中的重要课题之一。自Sternberg(1 966)提出短时记忆提取作的是序列的从头到尾的完全搜索以来 ,许多研究者对短时记忆提取进行了广泛的研究 ,提出了序列的自动停止的搜索、平行加工、直接存取 ,以及序列搜索和直接存取双重模型等许多不同看法 ,引起了激烈争论。本研究的目的是试图探索编码方式对汉字短时记忆提取的影响。实验运用Sternberg的“探测法” ,以随机排列的汉字作识记组和探测项刺激。实验结果表明 :编码方式对汉字短时记忆提取有很大影响 ,当用声音编码方式提取短时记忆汉字时 ,被试倾向于从头到尾的完全的搜索 ;当用形状编码时 ,被试倾向于作自动停止的搜索。

Short term memory (STM) is an important research area in cognitive psychologicy.In 1966, Sternberg proposed a model of serial and exhaustive search to explain the retrieval process of short term memory.Since then, a great deal of research has been conducted which may suggest the existence of some other retrieval process such as serial self terminated search, parallel process, direct access, search and direct access, two processes model, etc. This experiment explored the effects of acoustic and visual coding on the process of Chinese character retrieval from short term memory by using Sternberg's “probe” paradigm. In the present experiment, Chinese characters were presented to subjects as their memory set and two types of probes followed. One type of probe had a similar pronunciation to the memory set and the other had a similar visual pattern. It was found that subjects' reaction times increased for both acoustic and visual coding settings and also increased with the size of the memory set. Regression analysis of reaction times revealed that in visual coding, the slope of the YES response was about half that of the NO response, while in acoustic coding, the reaction time for the YES response was the same as the NO response. In addition, the reaction times in acoustic coding were longer than those in visual coding. We concluded that coding systems greatly affected the process of retrieving Chinese characters from STM. Subjects tended to use self terminated search in visual code setting but they took an exhaustive search strategy in acoustic code setting.