Long-term retention of a theatrical script by repertory actors: the role of context.
Four actors were requested to perform Sartre's No Exit after a retention interval of more than 5 months. Their recall of the play was studied either with the spatial and visual contextual cues normally available during a performance or without such cues. Total recall was still considerable, equalling 85%. The number of paraphrases of, and inferences on, the original text was however quite large (32%), suggesting that the actors had learned their lines according to their meaning rather than as a result of rote memorisation. The context manipulation showed that actors' recall is facilitated by the availability of spatial-visual information, but only to a limited extent. The relative importance of textual and contextual cues in the long-term retention of a play is discussed.
Schmidt
Henk G
HG
Department of Psychology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam. schmidt@fsw.eur.nl
Boshuizen
Henny P A
HP
van Breukelen
Gerard J P
GJ
D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D004324:Drama; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010056:Overlearning; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D013997:Time Factors