ERIC Number: EJ783121
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jan
Pages: 16
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0278-7393
EISSN: N/A
Context Retrieval and Context Change in Free Recall: Recalling from Long-Term Memory Drives List Isolation
Jang, Yoonhee; Huber, David E.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, v34 n1 p112-127 Jan 2008
Three experiments used the "list-before-the-last" free recall paradigm (Shiffrin, 1970) to investigate retrieval for context and the manner in which context changes. This paradigm manipulates target and intervening list lengths to measure the interference from each list, providing a measure of list isolation. Correct target list recall was only affected by the target list length when participants engaged in recall between the lists, whereas there were effects of both list lengths with other activities. This suggests that the act of recalling drives context change, thus isolating the target list from interference. Correspondingly, incorrect recall of intervening list items was affected only by the length of the intervening list when recall occurred between the lists, but was otherwise affected by both list lengths. Concurrent with these changes in context similarity, there were apparent changes in context retrieval, as indicated by the overall levels of target retrieval versus intervening recall. A multinomial model of sampling and recovery was implemented to assess the adequacy of this account and to quantify context similarity and context retrieval.
Descriptors: Models, Physics, Long Term Memory, Masters Programs, Educational Quality, Recall (Psychology), Context Effect
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A