Type I rehearsal and recognition

Abstract

Rote, repetitive Type I Rehearsal is defined as the continuous maintenance of information in memory using the minimum cognitive capacity necessary for maintenance. This definition is operationalized in an incidental paradigm where pairs of words are overtly rehearsed 1, 5, or 10 times (maintained for 1.33 to 13.33 seconds). An analysis of the types of errors made on a forced-choice recognition test supported the hypothesis that acoustic—phonemic components of the memory trace, as opposed to semantic and contextual components, are added or strengthened by this rehearsal process. Furthermore, it was observed that co-rehearsed words did not effectively cue one another's recall. These results are discussed in relation to the usefulness of the distinction between Type I and Type II rehearsal.