Item-specific encoding produces an additional benefit of directed forgetting: evidence from intrusion errors.
List-method directed forgetting involves encoding 2 lists, between which half of the participants are told to forget List 1. When participants are free to study however they want, directed forgetting impairs List 1 recall and enhances List 2 recall in the forget group compared with a control remember group. In a large-scale experiment, the current work demonstrated that when item-specific encoding instructions were enforced during learning, directed forgetting impaired List 1 recall, but it did not enhance List 2 recall. This pattern was found regardless of whether encoding was incidental or intentional. Whenever directed forgetting did not enhance List 2 recall, it nevertheless reduced cross-list intrusions. These results indicate that directed forgetting can help differentiate memories from one another, thereby reducing intrusions from irrelevant competing memories.
Sahakyan
Lili
L
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA. l_sahaky@uncg.edu
Delaney
Peter F
PF
D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*