Abstract
Eriksen and Steffy (1964) were critical of short-term visual storage effects (STVS) because they were unable to find any evidence for them. In their first experiment they found instead great interference in performance over the same ISIs in which STVS is usually found. Their second experiment eliminated the interference by avoiding a bright second flash, but it still produced no evidence for STVS. Keele and Chase (1967) demonstrated that Eriksen and Steffy’s second condition failed to find STVS because the memory load was too small, and perhaps because the luminance was too low. However, the design of Eriksen and Steffy’s second experiment is not the one typically used to find STVS. Eriksen and Steffy’s first experiment was replicated here, and a second condition was added in which each S was also tested in a light adapted version. Interference was found in the former, as Eriksen and Steffy also found, but not in the latter. Little STVS was found in either of these conditions, presumably for reasons similar to those demonstrated by Keele and Chase.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
AVERBACH, E., & CORIELL, A. S. Short-term memory in vision. Bell System Technical Journal, 1961, 40, 309–328.
ERIKSEN, C. W. Temporal luminance summation effects in backward and forward masking. Perception & Psychophysics, 1966, 1, 87–92.
ERIKSEN, C. W., & STEFFY, R. A. Short-term memory and retroactive interference in visual perception. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1964, 68, 423–434.
KEELE, S. W., & CHASE, W. G. Short-term visual storage. Perception & Psychophysics, 1967, 2, 383–386.
SPERLING, G. The information available in brief visual presentations. Psychological Monographs, 1960, 74, 1–29.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation (GB 2909 and GB 5910) and the United States Public Health Service (MH 10753). I would like to thank Miss Barbara Herr for her assistance in running the Ss and participating in the analysis of the data.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Haber, R.N. A replication and extension of the Eriksen and Steffy (1964) experiment on short-term visual storage. Perception & Psychophysics 4, 341–343 (1968). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209529
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209529