title: Failures to replicate hyper-retrieval-induced forgetting in arithmetic memory.
abstract: Campbell and Phenix (2009) observed retrieval-induced forgetting (slower response time) for simple addition facts (e.g., 3 + 4) immediately following 40 retrieval-practice blocks of their multiplication counterparts (3 × 4 = ?). A subsequent single retrieval of the previously unpracticed multiplication problems, however, produced an retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) effect about twice as large for their addition counterparts. Thus, a single retrieval of a multiplication fact appeared to produce much larger RIF of the addition counterpart than did many multiplication retrieval-practice trials. In several subsequent similar studies, however, we failed to observe this hyper-RIF effect. Here, we attempted an exact replication of the Campbell and Phenix experiment, but found no evidence of hyper-RIF. We conclude that the hyper-RIF effect reported by Campbell and Phenix is an elusive phenomenon; consequently, it cannot at this time be considered an important result in the RIF literature.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. anna.maslany@usask.ca
authors: Anna J
authors: AJ
authors: Maslany
authors: Jamie I D
authors: JI
authors: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008433:Mathematics; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D055815:Young Adult