Effect of a partial report visual cue on information available in tachistoscopic presentations of alphanumeric characters varying in number and type.

The capacity of iconic memory is investigated using a variety of cueing techniques. As an alternative to auditory recall cues, a tachistoscopically presented arrow, with two exposure-fields at different luminances, was employed in a partial report paradigm. Alphanumeric target stimulus arrays varied in number and type. Results with 12 normal adults indicated that subjects recalled fewer items when the target array contained nine elements, as opposed to six, and when the visual cue was presented at a higher luminance. In all cases, numbers appeared easier to recall than letters. In general, subjects had less information available for recall than reported in previous studies employing auditory cues. It is possible that the effects observed are the result of backward masking by the visual cue. Nevertheless, subjects' performance suggests that the visual modality should not necessarily be abandoned for recall cueing.