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Related Experiment Videos

The effect of normative context variability on recognition memory.

Mark Steyvers1, Kenneth J Malmberg

  • 1Cognitive Science Department. 3151 Social Sciences Plaza, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-5100, USA. msteyver@uci.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|October 1, 2003
PubMed
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Words appearing in fewer contexts are more memorable. This study developed a "context variability" measure to confirm that low context variability enhances word recognition, supporting memory theories.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Recognition memory theories suggest context influences memorability.
  • A word in fewer contexts should be more easily recognized than one in many.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To empirically test the prediction that context variability affects word recognition.
  • To develop a normative measure for context variability.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a "context variability" measure to quantify word occurrences in diverse contexts.
  • Empirically tested the relationship between context variability and recognition memory performance.

Main Results:

  • Words with low context variability were better recognized than those with high context variability.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Findings support the prediction that fewer contexts enhance memory.

    • Conclusions:

    • Context variability is a significant factor in recognition memory.
    • The developed measure provides a tool for assessing word memorability based on contextual exposure.