The name is absent

Table 3

The Newman-Keuls multiple comparison for subjects' partial-report
performance at the 0-msec ISI in various sessions and their whole-report
performance (Experiment 1)

^aWR = whole report; ^bP1 = first practice session; ^cP2 = second practice session
^dT1 = first test session; ^eT2 = second test session; ^*Significant at 0.05 level by the
Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test. The critical values for two-, three-, four-, and
five-step differences are 1.41, 1.70, 1.88 and 1.99, respectively.

Discussion

Results from this experiment differ from those of Merikle's (1980) study as a result of an
important procedural difference. When the partial-report cue was presented before or
simultaneously with stimulus onset, Merikle obtained data consistent with the
display-instruction compatibility hypothesis. When the partial-report cue was presented
(in accordance with the methodological assumption of the partial-report task; see
Coltheart, 1980) at or after stimulus offset, the compatibility hypothesis was not
supported. It can be suggested that the display-instruction compatibility hypothesis is
incorrect.

It is observed here that the basic large-capacity finding is obtained only when subjects
have 96 trials of practice on the partial-report task. This procedural feature should no
longer be ignored in future applications of the partial-report task.

EXPERIMENT 2

Why is the basic sensory fording observed by some investigators (e.g., Sperling, 1960;
Turvey & Kravetz, 1970; von Wright, 1968), but not by others (e.g., Dick, 1969, 1971,
1974; Merikle, 1980)? Although we have rejected the display-instruction compatibility
hypothesis as an explanation of the large-capacity finding, it remains to be seen whether
the perceptual grouping hypothesis can account for the basic sensory finding.

Merikle (1980) gave his subjects a circular array of eight alphanumeric items for 50
msec. Four of the eight items were letters, and four were digits. On half of the occasions,

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