Recency effects in memory,as a function of modality of intervening events

Summary Word lists of fifteen items were presented to eye or to ear, with recall either immediately, or after a visual task, or after an auditory one. Instructions were to recall the last items first. An intervening task using the same modality greatly reduced recall of the last items presented; whereas a visual task did not do so for acoustically presented items. An auditory task reduced visual memory. These results suggest a specific auditory memory for recent events, over-written by subsequent auditory events.This research was supported by the Medical Research Council. The experimental work was performed at the Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge.