Attentional Selectivity in Short-term Memory: Similarity of Process, Not Similarity of Content, Determines Disruption

Background sound substantially disrupts serial recall, even under conditions where participants are explicitly told to ignore it. Study of such a phenomenon may serve to illuminate the manner in which information from various sources interacts in memory, as well as the extent to which unattended information is processed. A review of the literature is presented that points to a number of conclusions. First, that interference occurs in memory, not on the basis of similarity of content between relevant and irrelevant material, but rather on the basis of similarity of process. Specifically, in a serial recall task, the key memory process is that of order retention, and therefore, order information in the sequence of auditory events interferes with the process of ordering within the rehearsal set. Second, that organisation and interference within memory are intimately connected with perceptual processes. Un bruit de fond nuit au rappel seriel, meme lorsque les participants ont pour instruction explicite de l'ignorer. L'etude d'un tel phenomene met en lumiere la facon dont l'information provenant de plusieurs sources interagit en memoire, ainsi que le degre de traitement de l'information ignore. Une recension de la litterature est presentee ainsi que les conclusions qui en decoulent. Premierement, l'interference en memoire se produit sur la base de la similarite du traitement, plutot que sur la base de la similarite du materiel pertinent et non pertinent. Par exemple, dans une tache de rappel seriel, le processus mnemonique cle est la retention de l'ordre. C'est donc l'information reliee a l'ordre d'une sequence d'elements auditifs qui interfere avec le processus relie a l'ordre a l'interieur de l'ensemble a retenir. Deuxiemement, l'organisation et l'interference en memoire sont intimement liees aux processus perceptifs