Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Retrieval

Retrieval

Retrieval is the process of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness. This ability is essential for daily tasks like brushing hair and teeth, driving to work, and performing job duties. Retrieval occurs in three ways: recall, recognition, and relearning.
Recall involves accessing information without cues, such as during an essay test, where individuals must retrieve facts and concepts from memory unaided. Another example is remembering the name of a colleague...

Interference and Decay

Interference and Decay

Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

The tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon is a cognitive experience characterized by a temporary inability to retrieve specific information from memory despite having a strong feeling of knowing the information. Although individuals cannot access the target word or detail, they frequently recall related elements, such as its initial letter, syllable count, or context. This partial retrieval often causes frustration, as one might recognize a familiar face or know that a name starts with a specific...

Forgetting

Forgetting

Forgetting is an intrinsic aspect of human memory, characterized by the gradual loss or inaccessibility of information over time. Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneering psychologist, extensively studied this phenomenon and formulated the forgetting curve. This curve illustrates that memory loss occurs rapidly immediately after learning and then decelerates over time. Several mechanisms contribute to forgetting, including encoding failure, storage decay, retrieval failure, and interference.
Encoding...

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of information more...

Understanding Memory

Understanding Memory

Memory is the retention of information or experiences over time, facilitated through three main processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding is the process of inputting information into the memory system. For instance, when listening to a lecture, watching a play, reading a book, or having a conversation, the brain is actively encoding information. This initial stage involves transforming sensory input into a form that can be processed and stored by the brain. Various factors, such as...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

DerLex: An eye-movement database of derived word reading in English.

Behavior research methods·2024

Same author

Memory for linguistic features and the focus of attention: evidence from the dynamics of agreement inside DP.

Language, cognition and neuroscience·2023

Same author

Interference patterns in subject-verb agreement and reflexives revisited: A large-sample study.

Journal of memory and language·2020

Same author

CompLex: an eye-movement database of compound word reading in English.

Behavior research methods·2020

Same author

Individual differences in subphonemic sensitivity and phonological skills.

Journal of memory and language·2019

Same author

Retrieval cues and syntactic ambiguity resolution: Speed-accuracy tradeoff evidence.

Language, cognition and neuroscience·2019

Same journal

Unpacking similarity effects in visual memory search: categorical, semantic, and visual contributions.

Journal of memory and language·2026

Same journal

Pausing to breathe and the speech-language relationship in production.

Journal of memory and language·2026

Same journal

Lexical tone is different and special: Evidence from a speeded repeated production task.

Journal of memory and language·2026

Same journal

Listening to disfluent speech: Robust effect at processing may not extend to learning.

Journal of memory and language·2025

Same journal

Close enough isn't good enough in word learning: Successful cross-situational word mappings are semantically independent of previous mappings.

Journal of memory and language·2025

Same journal

Language Control After Phrasal Planning: Playing Whack-a-Mole with Language Switch Costs.

Journal of memory and language·2025

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks

Published on: September 5, 2019

Retrieval interference in sentence comprehension.

Julie A Van Dyke¹, Brian McElree

¹Haskins Laboratories, 300 George Street, New Haven, CT 06511-6695, USA.

Journal of Memory and Language

|January 23, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Interference effects in sentence processing occur during retrieval, not encoding. This is due to retrieval cues being unable to uniquely identify target information, supporting the cue-overload principle.

More Related Videos

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks

Examining Online Syntactic Processing of Spoken Complex Sentences in Chinese Using Dual-Modal Interference Tasks

Published on: September 5, 2019

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism

Published on: October 3, 2018

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Psycholinguistics
Memory Research

Background:

Interference effects in sentence processing are gaining attention.
The exact stage (encoding vs. retrieval) where these effects occur is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To distinguish between encoding and retrieval explanations for interference effects.
To investigate the role of retrieval interference by manipulating experimental conditions.

Main Methods:

An experiment was designed to isolate retrieval interference.
Encoding conditions were held constant while retrieval possibilities were manipulated.

Main Results:

Clear support for the cue-overload principle was found.
Interference effects arise when retrieval cues cannot uniquely distinguish competitors.

Conclusions:

The memory system for language comprehension follows general memory principles.
Findings align with cue-based parsing frameworks and other observed interference effects.