How Do People Think They Remember Melodies and Timbres? Phenomenological Reports of Memory for Nonverbal Sounds

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Date
2017-06Author
Nees, Michael A.
Harris, Joanna
Leong, Peri
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Show full item recordAbstract
Memory for nonverbal sounds such as those used in
sonifications has been recognized as a priority for cognitiveperceptual
research in the field of auditory display. Yet
memory processes for nonverbal sounds are not well
understood, and existing theory and research have not provided
a consensus on a mechanism of memory for nonverbal sounds.
We report a new analysis of a qualitative question that asked
participants to report the strategy they used to retain nonverbal
sounds—both melodies and sounds discriminable primarily by
timbre. The question was originally posed as part of the
debriefing procedure for three separate memory experiments
whose primary findings are reported elsewhere. Results of this
new analysis suggested that auditory memory strategies—
remembering acoustic properties of sounds—were common
across both types of sounds but were more commonly reported
for remembering melodies. Motor strategies were also more
frequently reported for remembering melodies. Both verbal
labeling of sounds and associative strategies—linking the
sounds to existing information in memory—were more
commonly reported as strategies for remembering sounds
discriminable primarily by timbre. Implications for theory and
future research are discussed.