ACOUSTIC SIMILARITY EFFECTS ON LONG-TERM MEMORY FOR PAIRED ASSOCIATES

Does acoustic similarity between the left-hand members of two paired-associate (PA) lists impair long-term memory (LTM) in a proaction design? Under one treatment, the left-hand terms of the two lists were acoustically similar (e.g., YOUNG-LUNG); under a second treatment, they were not acoustically similar. Either 10 min, 24 hr, or 1 week intervened between the end of List 2 learning and the recall test on List 2. Subsequent to the memory test on List 2, retention of List 1 was also assessed. Neither recall of List 2 nor memory for List 1 was substantially affected by the manipulation in acoustic similarity. For LTM following multitrial training on two full-scale PA lists, it is concluded that both proactive and retroactive inhibition attributable to acoustic similarity between the left-hand terms of the lists are negligible. © 1969 Academic Press Inc. All rights reserved.