Abstract
We measured latency and speed of verbal responses to letters presented simultaneously (Experiment I) or in succession (Experiment II). In simultaneous presentation and within the limits of memory span, response latency increases proportionally to the number of. responses. In successive presentation, the same function is found when more than three responses are given. In both situations, response speed is constant. The increase in latency is about 70 msec per response. Such a duration is too long to be explained by a process of encoding but too short to result from subvocal rehearsal. This latency seems to correspond to the preparation of the response.
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Fraisse, P., Smirnov, S. Response latency and the content of immediate memory. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 8, 345–348 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335162
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335162