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Asymmetry between encoding and retrieval processes: evidence from divided attention and a calibration analysis
M Naveh-Benjamin1, F I Craik, D Gavrilescu
1Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. naveh@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
Memory & Cognition
|December 6, 2000
Summary
Divided attention (DA) during encoding impairs memory by consuming central cognitive resources, unlike retrieval which remains largely unaffected. This suggests encoding relies on conscious processing, while retrieval is more automatic.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Divided attention (DA) research has explored its impact on memory encoding and retrieval.
- Previous studies suggest attentional demands affect memory performance, but the precise mechanisms remain under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential effects of divided attention on memory encoding versus retrieval processes.
- To examine how task difficulty, specifically decision and motor components, influences encoding and retrieval under DA.
- To test if shifting attentional focus from encoding to a secondary task reduces processing depth.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted.
- Experiment 1: Assessed effects of decision and motor difficulty in a concurrent reaction time task on encoding and retrieval.
- Experiment 2: Employed calibration analysis to evaluate the impact of attentional shifts on processing depth during encoding.
Main Results:
- Encoding processes are demonstrably affected by simultaneous task demands, particularly those involving central cognitive resources like decision-making.
- Retrieval processes were found to be largely obligatory and unaffected by concurrent task demands.
- Calibration analysis indicated that DA at encoding leads to shallower processing strategies, resulting in poorer memory performance.
Conclusions:
- Encoding and retrieval are distinct memory processes with differing sensitivities to divided attention.
- Conscious decision-making during encoding is vulnerable to attentional interference.
- Retrieval is a more automatic process, less susceptible to the effects of divided attention.