One finding that supports the idea that information in working memory is represented by an acoustic (auditory) code rather than a semantic (meaning-based) code is that when participants are given a list of words to learn and then are immediately tested for recall, performance is ______ when the list contains items that are similar in _______.
A)worse; meaning
B)better; meaning
C)worse; sound
D)better; sound

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The phenomenon of poorer recall performance for items that are acoustically similar supports the idea that information in working memory is represented by an acoustic code. This is known as the phonological similarity effect, where items that sound similar are more difficult to remember than those that do not, indicating that working memory relies on an auditory form of coding rather than a semantic one.

One Finding That Supports the Idea That Information in Working