What does the word length effect reveal about the Phonological Loop?

• A. Recall is limited by articulatory duration
• B. Recall depends on semantic similarity
• C. Recall is unaffected by word length
• D. Recall improves with longer words

Answer: (A)

Word length effect shows that the Phonological Loop is constrained by articulatory duration. The loop holds sound-based information and is refreshed by subvocal rehearsal. Longer words take more time to articulate, so each item stays in the phonological store longer and has less time to be refreshed before it decays. Consequently, you can recall fewer long words than short ones when remembering sequences. This demonstrates that the loop’s capacity is time-based, tied to how long it takes to articulate items. Disrupting rehearsal reduces this effect, underscoring the role of articulation in maintaining verbal information. The idea that recall would depend on semantic similarity or improve with longer words doesn’t fit how the phonological loop operates.