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Article
Similarities between Human and Animal Spatial Memory: Item and Order Information
Animal Learning & Behavior
  • Robert H.I. Dale, Butler University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-1987
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03200038
Abstract

Human subjects, sitting at the center of a circle of eight lights, were tested on analogues of radial-maze item-recognition (Roberts & Smythe, 1979) and order-recognition (Kesner & Novak, 1982) tasks. Subjects in the item-recognition condition saw a list of seven lights, and then the nonlist (eighth) light was tested against the first, fourth, or seventh light from the list. The sub- jects were required to point toward the non list light. Subjects in the order-recognition condition saw a series of eight lights, followed by a test of the first and second, fourth and fifth, or seventh and eighth serial positions. They were asked to point toward the light with the earlier serial position. Subjects' item-recognition serial-position curves exhibited a recency effect with a O-sec retention interval (Experiments 1 and 2), and were U-shaped (Experiment 1) or flat (Experiment 2) with a 30-sec retention interval. Subjects' order-recognition serial-position curves were U-shaped at both retention intervals. Subjects' reported mnemonics were, generally, unrelated to their choice accuracy. The results suggest analogous memory processes in animals and humans.

Rights

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03205022.

Citation Information
Dale RHI. (1987). Similarities between human and animal spatial memory: Item and order information. Animal Learning & Behavior. 15(3), 293-300. doi: 10.3758/BF03205022. Available from: http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers/361