title: Retrieval from temporally organized situation models.
abstract: Time is an important part of establishing situations in the world. As such, temporal information should be reflected in the organization of information into situation models. This article reports 3 experiments that explore whether people will integrate sets of related facts into situation models in a time-based fashion. People memorized lists of facts and then took a speeded recognition test. A retrieval interference methodology was used to assess whether they had integrated the facts into situation models. The presence of interference indicated a lack of integration. In contrast, a marked reduction or an absence in interference indicated integration. In 2 experiments, time-based integration was observed when common time periods were referred to by either events (e.g., "when the camera flashed") or verb tense (i.e., past, present, and future). A 3rd experiment demonstrated that common time periods alone are not sufficient; the information must be allowed to occur potentially within the same situation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA. Gabriel.A.Radvansky.1@nd.edu
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Radvansky
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zwaan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Federico
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Franklin
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D013997:Time Factors