Abstract
On each of 198 choice reaction time (RT) trials, subjects verbally predicted which of two possible stimuli would occur and then waited 3, 7, or 11 sec before receiving a ready signal and the stimulus presentation. Four groups of 20 subjects each were defined by the nature of the distractor task interpolating the time between a prediction and the ready signal. These conditions were as follows: (1) No distraction task was required, (2) the subject vocally repeated the prediction until the ready signal sounded, (3) the subject counted backward by threes until the signal occurred, and (4) the subject repeated the nonpredicted stimulus until the signal occurred. Whereas RT to incorrectly predicted stimuli did not change as a function of retention interval for any group, RT to correctly predicted stimuli increased significantly as the interval increased for the count-backward and repeat-prediction groups. For the repeat-nonprediction group RT to correct predictions varied inversely with the retention interval. These results were interpreted with reference to a two-process expectancy model, short-term expectancy decay vs. interference, and negative recency effects.
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Geller, E.S. Studying short-term storage of expectancies with reaction time. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 19, 3–6 (1982). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330024