Mak, Samantha Sum Ming (2008) Memory Measurement: Interrupted Reading Task and Investigation of Word Length Effects. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The Interrupted Reading Task (IRT), adapted from eye-voice span tasks and daily reading tasks, was investigated for measuring the working memory (a dynamic process which is concerned with the temporary retention and transformation of information in support of cognitive activity; Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968; Baddeley & Hitch, 1974; Hutton & Towse, 2001) capacity for daily tasks, such as reading aloud. To test the validity of the IRT, two established tests of memory, the Digit Span task (DS) from the WAIS-III, and the Letter Number Sequencing task (LNS) were adapted to measure the capacity of the short term memory and the working memory of 31 participants. Their synergy with the number of words output from the IRT was examined, and shown to be strong. A relatively higher correlation was also found between the outputs from the IRT and the LNS (r = .56), than between that of the IRT and DS (r = .48), showing that the IRT is more related to working memory tasks than to short-term memory tasks. The IRT also provided a rehearsal-free environment that was used to examine the word length effect (where more short words are output than long words). The results showed that the word length effect occurred without rehearsal, a finding that does not agree with Baddeley and Hitch’s (1974) working memory model, which states that the word length effect occurs due to subvocal rehearsal. It does, however, agree with Cowan’s (1999) embedded processes model, that the word length effect can in fact occur without any rehearsal, as it occurs due to the decay of activated memory instead.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Liam Hendry |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Nov 2025 00:27 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Nov 2025 00:27 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52528 |
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