Remembering can cause forgetting: retrieval dynamics in long-term memory.
Three studies show that the retrieval process itself causes long-lasting forgetting. Ss studied 8 categories (e.g., Fruit). Half the members of half the categories were then repeatedly practiced through retrieval tests (e.g., Fruit Or_____). Category-cued recall of unpracticed members of practiced categories was impaired on a delayed test. Experiments 2 and 3 identified 2 significant features of this retrieval-induced forgetting: The impairment remains when output interference is controlled, suggesting a retrieval-based suppression that endures for 20 min or more, and the impairment appears restricted to high-frequency members. Low-frequency members show little impairment, even in the presence of strong, practiced competitors that might be expected to block access to those items. These findings suggest a critical role for suppression in models of retrieval inhibition and implicate the retrieval process itself in everyday forgetting.
Anderson
M C
MC
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90024-1563.
Bjork
R A
RA
Bjork
E L
EL
D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008568:Memory; D011939:Mental Recall; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis