“Newly-acquired words are more phonologically robust in verbal short-term memory when they have associated semantic representations” – Dr Nicola Savill et al.

The primary question motivating this study was whether semantic information supports the phonological maintenance of whole word traces in verbal short-term memory, even when phonological-lexical experience is equated.

– Savill et al. (94)

This article by Dr Nicola Savill and colleagues examines whether semantic information increases the stability of new words’ phonological trace, independently of phonological familiarity, in verbal short-term memory.

If we assume that the phonological system has an in-built capacity to maintain a string of speech sounds in order, we might envisage that semantic information can constrain the order of phonemes in verbal STM.

– Savill et al. (86)

Dr Savill and colleagues’ article can be downloaded here.