Time to Recognise Tones: Memory Scanning or Memory Strength?

Abstract

Three experiments measured the time to decide whether a probe tone was a member of a set of one to four remembered tones. Reaction time increased with the size of the remembered set, and in one experiment the functions were similar to functions that have been reported for recognition of verbal items. Positive reaction time was largely determined by recency of presentation of the probed item. Variables thought to influence memory strength of tones (interpolated noise, delay, and tone duration) proved to affect recognition reaction time. However, the positive relation found between error rate and error reaction time disconfirmed a prediction of memory strength models based upon the theory of signal detection. Possible memory strength and memory scanning theories were considered.