Quinn and McConnel (1996)

Uses: working memory model

Aim: to investigate the effect of distraction on different methods learning words

Method: duel task experiment

Procedure:

• Learn a list of words by using either imagery or rehearsal

• Performed on its own or in the presence of a concurrent visual noise (changing patterns of dots) or a concurrent verbal voice (speech in another language)

Result:

• Learning words by imagery was not affected by a concurrent verbal task but was disturbed by a concurrent visual task.

• In the rehearsal condition found the opposite.

• Imagery processing uses the visuospatial sketchpad whereas verbal processing uses the phonological loop

• Two tasks use the same component, and performance deteriorated.

Lends support to different modality-specific slave systems and the idea of limited processing capacity

Quinn, J. G., & McConnell, J. (1996). Irrelevant pictures in visual working memory. The Quarterly journal of experimental psychology. A, Human experimental psychology, 49(1), 200–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/713755613