A Markov model was proposed to account for the short-term retention of the spatial arrangement of letters. The model was fit to three spatial location recall conditions in experiments which differed in distractor task. The rate of information transfer from primary to secondary memory was affected by changes in distractor task. (SW)

Three experiments were conducted to extend the finding that, whereas phonemic coding is employed for short-term temporal order recall, coding of temporal-spatial patterns is employed for short-term spatial order recall. At least three types of coding strategies are available to subjects in short-term memory tasks. (CHK)

Short-term retention of temporal and spatial order information were compared using the distractor paradigm. Use of phonemic coding and coding of information about temporal-spatial patterns were interrupted to observe subject's reaction and ability to recall. (CHK)