THE ROLE OF ATTENTION AND STUDY TIME IN EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT MEMORY FOR UNFAMILIAR VISUAL-STIMULI

The effects of limited attentional resources and study time on explici t and implicit memory were studied using Schacter and Cooper's possibl e and impossible objects in their recognition and object decision para digm. In one experiment, when attention at study was Limited by a flan king digits procedure, object recognition was diminished but object de cision priming for possible objects was unaffected; in another experim ent, limiting attention plus reducing stimulus study time impaired obj ect recognition and eliminated object priming. Recognition memory and perceptual priming for previously unfamiliar visual stimuli were both influenced by attention, although to different degrees. The intervenin g variable of study time determined the degree to which priming was af fected by attentional resources. These results support a limited capac ity attentional model for both recognition and perceptual priming of u nfamiliar visual stimuli, and they highlight the need for assessing th e interaction of attentional resources and study time in explicit and implicit memory tasks.