The recall of multiple stimulus attributes in four- to six-item lists

Three experiments are reported which investigate short-term memory for multidimensional stimuli; in particular, item information, spatial location, and temporal order. The three experiments differ in list length, which was increased to eliminate ceiling effects, which may have skewed the results of previous studies. All three dimensions were varied independently, and, after stimulus presentation, when one was presented as a cue, the other two dimensions were to be recalled. The results suggest that temporal order and item information are highly associated in short-term memory, while spatial location and item information are not highly associated. The relationship between spatial location and temporal order is more complex, with list length and attributes of individual stimuli having an effect