Abstract
Memory for a standard tone in comparison to a subsequent test tone was examined in three experiments with three intervening tones between the standard and test tones. In each trial, the intervening tones were presented from one of seven frequency range and distance from the standard tone conditions. Experiment 1 tone patterns were played at four different presentation rates, and the subjects judged whether the test was higher or lower than the standard. Memory interference effects caused by the different intervening tone conditions could be accounted for by a directional shift in the standard tone memory toward the intervening tones and by a general decrease in the standard tone memory strength with more distant intervening tones. Interference effects were smaller for the rapid presentation rates because the intervening tones formed separate “perceptual streams.” Two additional experiments presented the tone patterns in a task requiring the subjects to match a continuously variable tone to their memory of the standard (Experiment 2) and a task requiring them to judge whether the standard and test tones were the “same” or “different” (Experiment 3). These experiments showed large differences in interference effects as a function of the required judgment and the subjects’ musical experience.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Reference Note
Van Noorden, L. P. A. S.Rhythmic fission as a function of tone rate. IPO Annual Progress Report (No. 6). Eindhoven, Netherlands: Institute for Perception Research, 1971, Pp. 9–12.
References
Attneave, F., &Olson, R. K. Pitch as a medium: A new approach to psychophysical scaling.American Journal of Psychology, 1971,84, 147–165.
Bachem, A. Time factors in relative and absolute pitch determination.Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1954,26, 751–753.
Bregman, A. S., &Campbell, J. Primary auditory stream segregation and perception of order in rapid sequence of tones.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1971,89, 244–249.
Bregman, A. S., &Rudnicky, A. I. Auditory segregation: Stream or streams?Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1975,1, 263–267.
Deutsch, D. Music recognition.Psychological Review, 1969,76, 300–307.
Deutsch, D. Generality of interference by tonal stimuli in recognition memory for pitch.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1974,26, 229–234.
Deutsch, D. Auditory memory.Canadian Journal Psychology, 1975,29 87–105.
Deutsch, D., &Feroe, J. Disinhbition in pitch memory.Perception & Psychophysics, 1975,17, 320–324.
Dowling, W. J. The perception of interleaved melodies.Cognitive Psy zchology, 1973,5, 322–337.
Harris, J. D. The decline of pitch discrimination with time.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1952,43, 96–99.
Helson, H.Adaptation-level theory New York: Harper & Row, 1964.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by the Council on Research and Creative Work at the University of Colorado and the Institute for the Study of Intellectual Behavior. Janet fletcher and Darci Glassman performed pilot studies for the first experiment, and Ronald Leatherman and John Durrett assisted in the construction of stimulus materials. Larry Greenblatt, Anne Frey, and Martha Timyan performed a pilot study for the second experiment. Jan Keenan assisted with the data analysis for the third experiment and commented on an earlier draft of this paper. Portions of the paper were presented at the Denver meetings of the Psychonomic Society. November 1975.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Olson, R.K., Hanson, V. Interference effects in tone memory. Memory & Cognition 5, 32–40 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209189
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209189