SPATIAL AND VERBAL COMPONENTS OF THE ACT OF RECALL *

Research presented in this paper shows that while a person is recalling a line diagram he can more readily signal information about that diagram by speaking than by spatially monitored output (e.g., pointing to correct items in a column of symbols). When recalling a sentence, he can more readily signal information about that sentence by spatially monitored output than by speaking. These results suggest that spatial and verbal information is recalled and processed in a modality-specific manner. Recall of verbal information is most readily disrupted by concurrent vocal activity; recall of spatial information is most readily disrupted by concurrent spatially monitored activity. This differential conflict occurs even though the concurrent activity is a recoding of the information that is being recalled. A PEBSON is asked to describe from memory a diagram such as a map or floor plan, he is likely to say that he generated a mental representation of the diagram and then derived his description from that. Even in the absence of vivid mental imagery, there is a clear impression that some underlying visual or spatial process is involved in this type of performance. In contrast, the process involved in recalling a specific sentence seems to have more to do with speech than with vision or spatial movements. If there is a visualized component in sentence recall, it appears to be less crucial than in the recall of spatial relationships. This paper will present performance data to support the subjectively plausible notion that verbal and spatial information are handled in distinct, modality-specific manners. These data are obtained from experiments which induce conflict between overt responding and the act of recall. Subjects are asked to recall memorized material (sentences or line diagrams) and to simultaneously signal information about that material. If making signals in one modality (for example, speaking) uniquely disrupts recall of one of these types of material, then it will be assumed that the recall of that material is accomplished in a modalityspecific manner. If a different modality of response (for example, pointing to a sequence of symbols) provides the strongest conflict when the •This research was supported by N.R.C. grant A.P.A. 210. I would like to thank Mrs. Wilma Clarke and Miss Rosemary Squire for their assistance in running subjects and tabulating and analyzing the data of these experiments. {Present address: Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.