Implicit memory in the auditory modality: The search for an auditory word form system

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to explore implicit memory within the auditory modality. It was hypothesized that there would be significant auditory priming in a masked word discrimination task. It was also hypothesized that subjects who performed an elaborative encoding task would show little or no advantage in the priming test when compared to subjects who performed a structural encoding task, but they would perform significantly better on a recognition test. It was also hypothesized that, with an appropriate encoding task, subjects would show a sensitivity to voice changes in the priming test. The results indicated significant auditory priming, and elaborative encoding had a greater effect on recognition performance than priming. No sensitivity to voice change was found. The findings are interpreted as support for the theory that auditory priming is mediated by a perceptual representation system.