Remember this and forget that: using maintenance rehearsal to further explore attention-capture and its role in memory

Previous research has indicated that attention-capture by a novel stimulus can result in poorer memory for immediately preceding information (suffix effect). Other studies have suggested that attention-capturing stimuli are better remembered than those that follow the norm (Von-Restorff effect). Using the maintenance rehearsal paradigm, where word pairs are presented in between digit presentation and digit recall, this paper simultaneously explored these relationships between attention-capture and memory. This paradigm enables the use of two separate measures, in one study, to provide convergent evidence for attention capture, by highlighting its relationship with short-term (digit recall) and long-term (delayed associative recognition of the word pairs) memory. In this study, 30 participants undertook computer-based memory tasks. Attention-capture was elicited by manipulating the word pairs (trial type), and pattern of trial presentation within a block (block type). It was predicted that switch trials (with a switch to novel word pairs) would capture more attention than no-switch trials (same word pairs repeated), reflecting in poorer digit recall. It was also predicted that unexpected switches (switches that broke block pattern) would capture more attention than expected switches (switches that followed block pattern) also reflecting in poorer digit recall, but better word pair recognition in the delayed associative recognition test. Digit recall results supported these hypotheses, however the results of the delayed associative recognition test were inconclusive. Implications for the relationship between attention and memory are discussed