Abstract
The effect of a prior gist-based versus item-specific retrieval orientation on recognition of objects and words was examined. Prior item-specific retrieval increased item-specific recognition of episodically related but not previously tested objects relative to both conceptual- and perceptual-gist retrieval. An item-specific retrieval advantage also was found when the stimuli were words (synonyms) rather than objects but not when participants overtly named objects during gist-based recognition testing, which suggests that they did not always label objects under general gist-retrieval instructions. Unlike verbal overshadowing, labeling objects during recognition attenuated (but did not eliminate) test- and interference-related forgetting. A full understanding of how retrieval affects subsequent memory, even for events or facts that are not themselves retrieved, must take into account the specificity with which that retrieval occurs.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 778-791 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2006 |
Keywords
- Categorical memory
- Episodic memory
- Problem solving
- Retrieval-induced forgetting
- Thinking