title: Continued effects of context reinstatement in recognition.
abstract: The context reinstatement effect refers to the enhanced memory performance found when the context information paired with a target item at study is re-presented at test. Here we investigated the consequences of the way that context information is processed in such a setting that gives rise to its beneficial effect on item recognition memory. Specifically, we assessed whether reinstating context in a recognition test facilitates subsequent memory for this context, beyond the facilitation conferred by presentation of the same context with a different study item. Reinstating the study context at test led to better accuracy in two-alternative forced choice recognition for target faces than did re-pairing those faces with another context encountered during the study phase. The advantage for reinstated over re-paired conditions occurred for both within-subjects (Exp. 1) and between-subjects (Exp. 2) manipulations. Critically, in a subsequent recognition test for the contexts themselves, contexts that had previously served in the reinstated condition were recognized better than contexts that had previously served in the re-paired context condition. This constitutes the first demonstration of continuous effects of context reinstatement on memory for context.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK, HanczakowskiM@cardiff.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hanczakowski
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zawadzka
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Macken
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult