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Cited by 351Memory Processes and InfluencesNeurobiology of Language and BilingualismCognitive Abilities and Testing

Memory for serial order across domains: An overview of the literature and directions for future research

Hurlstone, Mark J., Hitch, Graham J., Baddeley, Alan D.·2014·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/a0034221
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Abstract

From vocabulary learning to imitating sequences of motor actions, the ability to plan, represent, and recall a novel sequence of items in the correct order is fundamental for many verbal and nonverbal higher level cognitive activities. Here we review phenomena of serial order documented across the verbal, visual, and spatial short-term memory domains and interpret them with reference to the principles of serial order and ancillary assumptions instantiated in contemporary computational theories of memory for serial order. We propose that functional similarities across domains buttress the notion that verbal, visual, and spatial sequences are planned and controlled by a competitive queuing (CQ) mechanism in which items are simultaneously active in parallel and the strongest item is chosen for output. Within the verbal short-term memory CQ system, evidence suggests that serial order is represented via a primacy gradient, position marking, response suppression, and cumulative matching. Evidence further indicates that output interference operates during recall and that item similarity effects manifest during both serial order encoding and retrieval. By contrast, the principles underlying the representation of serial order in the visual and spatial CQ systems are unclear, largely because the relevant studies have yet to be performed. In the spatial domain, there is some evidence for a primacy gradient and position marking, whereas in the visual domain there is no direct evidence for either of the principles of serial order. We conclude by proposing some directions for future research designed to bridge this and other theoretical gaps in the literature.

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  • Backward span is a complex working memory task that existing short-term memory mechanisms do not readily serve because short-term memory represents serial order in a forward-going manner.

    “Backward span is another complex WM task that is not readily served by existing mechanisms in STM, as a consequence the forward-going representation of serial order in STM (Hurlstone et al., 2014).”

    From Working memory training involves learning new skills (2019) · cites this paper as Hurlstone et al., 2014

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Authors
Hurlstone, M. J., Hitch, G. J., & Baddeley, A. D.
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2014
Volume
140
Issue
2
Pages
339-373
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/a0034221
OpenAlex
W2111801796
Cited by
351
References
218
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 1
FWCI
11.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
  • Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Keywords
serial order memory, short-term memory, response suppression, output interference, visual short-term memory, spatial short-term memory, verbal short-term memory, computational model of memory, sequence recall
MeSH terms
Humans, Memory, Short-Term, Models, Psychological, Serial Learning, Space Perception, Verbal Learning, Visual Perception

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