Peterson and Johnson (1971) also did a digit span task with a simultaneously performed concurrent task.Peterson and Johnson asked participants to repeat simple words over and over (e.g., "the," "the," "the," "the," etc.) while they were also supposed to be rehearsing the digits for the digit span task.They found that:
A)participants recalled more digits because the concurrent task stimulated the use of the phonological loop.
B)participants could not simultaneously repeat the word and suppress the digits.
C)participants recalled fewer digits because both tasks occupied the phonological loop.
D)the articulatory suppression prevented the use of the episodic buffer in this task.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Peterson and Johnson found that the concurrent task of repeating simple words over and over (which utilized the phonological loop) and rehearsing digits for the digit span task (which also occupied the phonological loop) led to a decrease in the number of digits recalled. This suggests that both tasks were competing for resources in the phonological loop, resulting in reduced performance on the digit span task.

Peterson and Johnson (1971) Also Did a Digit Span Task