TY - JOUR
T1 - Context Retrieval and Context Change in Free Recall
T2 - Recalling From Long-Term Memory Drives List Isolation
AU - Jang, Yoonhee
AU - Huber, David E.
PY - 2008/1
Y1 - 2008/1
N2 - Three experiments used the "list-before-the-last" free recall paradigm (Shiffrin, 1970) to investigate retrieval for context and the manner in which context changes. This paradigm manipulates target and intervening list lengths to measure the interference from each list, providing a measure of list isolation. Correct target list recall was only affected by the target list length when participants engaged in recall between the lists, whereas there were effects of both list lengths with other activities. This suggests that the act of recalling drives context change, thus isolating the target list from interference. Correspondingly, incorrect recall of intervening list items was affected only by the length of the intervening list when recall occurred between the lists, but was otherwise affected by both list lengths. Concurrent with these changes in context similarity, there were apparent changes in context retrieval, as indicated by the overall levels of target retrieval versus intervening recall. A multinomial model of sampling and recovery was implemented to assess the adequacy of this account and to quantify context similarity and context retrieval.
AB - Three experiments used the "list-before-the-last" free recall paradigm (Shiffrin, 1970) to investigate retrieval for context and the manner in which context changes. This paradigm manipulates target and intervening list lengths to measure the interference from each list, providing a measure of list isolation. Correct target list recall was only affected by the target list length when participants engaged in recall between the lists, whereas there were effects of both list lengths with other activities. This suggests that the act of recalling drives context change, thus isolating the target list from interference. Correspondingly, incorrect recall of intervening list items was affected only by the length of the intervening list when recall occurred between the lists, but was otherwise affected by both list lengths. Concurrent with these changes in context similarity, there were apparent changes in context retrieval, as indicated by the overall levels of target retrieval versus intervening recall. A multinomial model of sampling and recovery was implemented to assess the adequacy of this account and to quantify context similarity and context retrieval.
KW - context change
KW - context reinstatement
KW - free recall
KW - list-length effect
KW - retroactive interference
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38649124951&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0278-7393.34.1.112
DO - 10.1037/0278-7393.34.1.112
M3 - Article
C2 - 18194058
AN - SCOPUS:38649124951
SN - 1939-1285
VL - 34
SP - 112
EP - 127
JO - Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition
JF - Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition
IS - 1
ER -