{"title":"What is the level of precision of phonological representations in working memory?","authors":"Marion Bouffier, Robin Remouchamps, Steve Majerus","doi":"10.3758/s13421-025-01768-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The precision with which verbal information is represented in working memory (WM) is a debated question. Some studies suggest that verbal WM precision is limited to abstract phonological levels of representation while other studies, using specifically designed paradigms, indicate that information can reach phonetic-level precision. The present study investigated at which linguistic level verbal WM operates by default, by probing memory for phonological versus phonetic information in a non-word WM paradigm. In three experiments, we presented non-word lists followed by a non-word probe, with negative probes differing from targets by a single phoneme. This phoneme was either a phonetic variant of the target (e.g., /t/ - /t*/), a phonologically close phoneme (e.g., /t/ - /d/) or a phonologically distant phoneme (e.g., /t/ - /v/). In the three experiments, we observed reliable rejection of negative probes differing by a phonologically distant phoneme, while rejection of negative probes differing by either a phonologically close phoneme or a phonetic variant was much less robust. This study shows that verbal WM preferentially involves phonological levels of representation, and with limited precision at this level.</p>","PeriodicalId":48398,"journal":{"name":"Memory & Cognition","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Memory & Cognition","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-025-01768-z","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The precision with which verbal information is represented in working memory (WM) is a debated question. Some studies suggest that verbal WM precision is limited to abstract phonological levels of representation while other studies, using specifically designed paradigms, indicate that information can reach phonetic-level precision. The present study investigated at which linguistic level verbal WM operates by default, by probing memory for phonological versus phonetic information in a non-word WM paradigm. In three experiments, we presented non-word lists followed by a non-word probe, with negative probes differing from targets by a single phoneme. This phoneme was either a phonetic variant of the target (e.g., /t/ - /t*/), a phonologically close phoneme (e.g., /t/ - /d/) or a phonologically distant phoneme (e.g., /t/ - /v/). In the three experiments, we observed reliable rejection of negative probes differing by a phonologically distant phoneme, while rejection of negative probes differing by either a phonologically close phoneme or a phonetic variant was much less robust. This study shows that verbal WM preferentially involves phonological levels of representation, and with limited precision at this level.
期刊介绍:
Memory & Cognition covers human memory and learning, conceptual processes, psycholinguistics, problem solving, thinking, decision making, and skilled performance, including relevant work in the areas of computer simulation, information processing, mathematical psychology, developmental psychology, and experimental social psychology.