A novel study: forgetting curves and the reminiscence bump.
This study examined the forgetting curves for information read in a novel. People read a 10-chapter novel where each chapter covered an approximately 10-year period in the life of the protagonist. After reading the entire novel, participants completed various memory tests in which they summarised the novel, provided associated information from cues, and answered specific questions. Performance was plotted as the amount of information or the accuracy of question answering for each chapter. All of the memory tests revealed similar patterns: (a) better performance for early information (a primacy effect), (b) a bump in performance when the protagonist was approximately 20 years old, and (c) a smaller bump in performance when the protagonist began a career later in life. These results are considered in the context of theories of forgetting, autobiographical memory, and situation models.
Copeland
David E
DE
Department of Psychology, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway MS 5030, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA. david.copeland@unlv.edu
Radvansky
Gabriel A
GA
Goodwin
Kerri A
KA
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011932:Reading; D013360:Subliminal Stimulation; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult