Evaluating Encoding and Retrieval Advantages of Action Pairs in a Newly Developed Stimulus Set
- Author
- Kousa, Moussa
- Published
- [University Park, Pennsylvania] : Pennsylvania State University, 2024.
- Physical Description
- 1 electronic document
- Additional Creators
- Wyble, Brad
Access Online
- etda.libraries.psu.edu , Connect to this object online.
- Graduate Program
- Restrictions on Access
- Open Access.
- Summary
- This thesis explores the impact of semantic relatedness on visual working memory (VWM) through a series of memory and attentional blink experiments. The studies utilize a novel stimulus set of related and unrelated object pairs, investigating how action-based pairings might enhance memory encoding and retrieval. The experimental series consistently demonstrate that related object pairs, due to their conceptual linkages, significantly improve memory performance compared to unrelated pairs. The findings align with and extend the theories of chunking, suggesting that semantic relatedness between objects can substantially boost the capacity of VWM. Further investigations through Experiments 4 and 5, using the attentional blink paradigm, extend these findings by exploring how semantic relatedness impacts the rapid processing of information. These experiments specifically look at the encoding speed and retrieval accuracy of T1 and T2 stimuli presented in close temporal succession. Results suggest that while related object pairs improve T1 accuracy, they do not significantly alter the encoding speed of T2 when T1 is correctly identified, indicating that semantic relatedness primarily enhances retention rather than processing speed. Overall, the research highlights the significant role of semantic connections in enhancing the functional capacity of VWM, providing valuable insights into processing strategies that leverage long-term semantic memory associations for short-term memory tasks.
- Other Subject(s)
- Genre(s)
- Dissertation Note
- M.S. Pennsylvania State University 2024.
- Technical Details
- The full text of the dissertation is available as an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file ; Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view the file.
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