How does delayed testing reduce effects of implicit memory: context infusion or cuing with context?
Studying a word implicitly activates related associates that affect its recall in the extralist cuing task. Recall is more likely when one of these associates becomes the test cue and when other associates of the studied word activate this associate. Context disruptions occurring between study and test reduce these effects, suggesting that implicitly activated memories are linked to context. The context infusion hypothesis assumes that context information spreads throughout a word's associative network during study, decreasing with distance from the studied word. Interactive cuing assumes that context is linked only to the studied word and that recall is based on retrieving information from the test cue and the context. The infusion hypothesis predicts that effects of disruptions will depend on link distance whereas interactive cuing predicts that distance will have no effect. The experiments evaluate these explanations by manipulating target-to-cue strength, associate-to-cue strength, and context disruption. Experiment 1 varies disruption by testing under the same or different conditions (room, modality, experimenter). Experiment 2 tests recall immediately or after 5 m, 10 m, or 20 m of multiplication. The results are inconsistent with context infusion and support the interactive cuing explanation.
Nelson
Douglas L
DL
Department of Psychology, University ofSouth Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620-8200, USA. dnelson@cas.usf.edu
Goodmon
Leilani B
LB
Ceo
David
D
D003071:Cognition; D003463:Cues; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory; D011939:Mental Recall; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D012660:Semantics; D013997:Time Factors