Abstract
We examined the effect of cue types on the modified Sternberg task. In this task, participants memorized two lists and determined whether the probe was relevant to a cue. Oberaeur (2001) reported the set size effect of an irrelevant list diminished when the cue-stimulus interval (CSI) was 1,000 ms, which suggests irrelevant information was removed from working memory. While Oberaeur (2001) employed color as a cue, Tamaki and Naito (2015) used both a spatial cue and a color cue to increase competition in working memory. They observed the set size effect of irrelevant lists in longer CSIs (2,000 ms), suggesting competition could delay removal. However, using two types of cues possibly confounded their results, so we compared cue types directly in this study. But the ANOVA revealed no significant effect from cue type. The results suggested the both cues are equivalent information only in the task.
