Sensory Storage

Context

Visual Sensory Store

Auditory Sensory Store

Other Senses?

Summary

I. Context: Atkinson & Shiffrin (again)

[graphic]

II. Visual Sensory Store

A. Demonstrations

• Whole Report (Sperling's Experiments)
  For these trials, focus on the "x" in the middle of the screen. The "x" will be followed by a group of letters. Click on play and view the stimulus and try to recall all the letters.

  Example 1
  Example 2

• Partial Report (Sperling's Experiments)
  For these trials, focus on the "x" in the middle of the screen. The "x" will be followed by a group of letters and then a tone. If you hear a high tone you are to report the top row, if you hear the medium tone report the middle row, and if you hear a low tone report the bottom row. Now download the movie, click on play, view the stimulus and listen for the tones.

  Example 1
  Example 2

• Targeted Report (Averbach & Coriell, 1961)
  For these trials, focus on the "x" in the middle of the screen. The "x" will be followed by a group of letters and then an underline. Try to pick out the one letter that is underlined.

  Example 1
  Example 2

  The targeted report demonstration usually shows the best results. The underline didn't appear until after the letters had disappeared. How were you able to select the underlined letter and report it?

B. Results of Sperling's Experiment

[graphic]

C. Properties of Visual Sensory Store

1. capacity: limited by sensory apparatus
2. forgetting: rapid decay (1/4 to 1/3 sec), masking
3. coding: visual pattern

III. Auditory Sensory Store

A. The 3 eared man experiment

Procedure: [graphic]

Results: [graphic]

B. Modality Effect

[graphic]

IV. Other Senses?

1. Tactile Sensory Store
2. Taste?
3. Smell?

V. Summary

1. Purpose
   • attention
   • pattern recognition
2. Common Properties
   • large capacity
   • brief duration
   • modality bound

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