Incongruous item generation effects: a multiple-cue perspective.
In a series of studies, generation effects were obtained under encoding conditions designed to induce incongruous, unrelated item generation. Experiments 1 and 2, using free- and cued-recall measures, respectively, provided evidence that this unrelated generation effect was due to response-specific processing. Experiment 3 demonstrated a lack of relation between free recall and indices of clustering. A preliminary protocol study suggested that Ss generate multiple items in their search for appropriate unrelated responses. In Experiments 4 and 5, conditions designed to produce more extensive multiple generations demonstrated enhanced free recall. These results supported a multiple-cue account of facilitated recall for incongruous item generation. The multiple-cue perspective is consistent with traditional conceptualizations of memory, such as the principle of congruity, and contemporary distinctions between cue-target relational and item-specific processing.
Soraci
S A
SA
Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155.
Franks
J J
JJ
Bransford
J D
JD
Chechile
R A
RA
Belli
R F
RF
Carr
M
M
Carlin
M
M
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003463:Cues; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012107:Research Design; D014706:Verbal Learning