Abstract
Ss heard four-digit strings and saw a two-digit probe immediately after each. Every possible combination of two digits taken from the string, as well as each member of the string combined with some digit from the negative set was tested. Reaction times for verifying that both probe digits occurred in the string reveal that Ss grouped the members of the string into two ordered pairs. This result argues that the structure Ss might assign to so-called random strings must be considered when discussing scanning strategies. Structural explanations of two common patterns of reaction times are presented.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
BOWER, G. H. Organizational factors in memory. Cognitive Psychology, 1970, 1, 18–46.
GARRETT, M. F. Syntactic structure and judgements of auditory events: A study of the location of extraneous noises in sentences. PhD thesis, University of Illinois, 1965.
STERNBERG, S. Discovery of processing states: Extensions of Donders’ method. In W. G. Koster (Ed.), Attention and performance II. Acta Psychologica 30, 1969a, 276–315.
STERNBERG, S. Memory scanning: Mental processes revealed by reaction-time experiments. American Scientist, 1969b, 57, 4, 421–457.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Walker, E.C.T. The effect of structure on scanning strategies. Perception & Psychophysics 12, 427–429 (1972). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205855
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205855