Inhibition, Contextual Segregation, and Subject Strategies in List Method Directed Forgetting

This experiment tested alternative explanations of list method directed forgetting effects. Two word lists were studied by 135 subjects. Between lists, subjects were instructed to remember both lists (remember group), remember both lists as well as in which list words were studied (segregate group),...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Consciousness and cognition 1996-12, Vol.5 (4), p.395-417
Main Authors: Whetstone, Tony, Cross, Mark D., Whetstone, Lauren M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attention
Awareness
Female
Humans
Inhibition (Psychology)
Male
Mental Recall
Paired-Associate Learning
Practice (Psychology)
Reaction Time
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Summary:This experiment tested alternative explanations of list method directed forgetting effects. Two word lists were studied by 135 subjects. Between lists, subjects were instructed to remember both lists (remember group), remember both lists as well as in which list words were studied (segregate group), or to forget the first list and remember the second (forget group). All subjects took both recall and recognition tests with test order varied between subjects. Among subjects who took the recall test first, the forget group showed a directed forgetting effect (poorer performance on List 1 than List 2) with both recall accuracy, recall typing time, and recognition reaction time measures. Contextual segregation of List 1 words by forget subjects was ruled out as a sufficient cause of the effect. Limited support was obtained for a differential rehearsal explanation of the effect. Within-group comparisons and findings of release from directed forgetting support inhibitory processes as the major cause of the directed forgetting effect.
ISSN:1053-8100
1090-2376
DOI:10.1006/ccog.1996.0025