Episodic versus semantic memory: An exploration of models of memory decay in the serial attention paradigm

We investigate the implications of an episodic versus se-mantic memory representation in a model of serial task switching. Altmann and Gray (2002; 2004) have devel-oped a model in which the rate of memory activation, decay, and interference are tightly coupled in an expla-nation of learning, forgetting, and performance. A cen-tral assumption of their model is the use of an episodic memory trace for task cues. The current research ex-plores the centrality of this assumption by exploring the predictions made by three mathematical formulations of interference and decay