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Related Concept Videos

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon01:10

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...
Mnemonic Devices01:23

Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic devices are cognitive tools that facilitate memory retention by linking new information to familiar patterns or organizational strategies. These techniques are beneficial for remembering complex or lengthy sets of information by simplifying and structuring them in easily retrievable ways.
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Acronyms are created by using the initial letters of a series of words to form a new word or phrase. This approach condenses complex information into a single, memorable entity. For example,...
Forgetting01:21

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.
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Repressed Memory01:16

Repressed Memory

Repressed memories are a psychological phenomenon where memories of traumatic events are unconsciously blocked from a person's awareness. This process occurs as a defense mechanism, protecting the mind from the emotional impact of distressing or painful experiences. For example, a person who has experienced childhood trauma may grow up with no conscious recollection of the event. In such cases, the memories are thought to be buried deep within the subconscious, inaccessible to the conscious...
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The Tongue and Taste Buds

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory
07:26

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

Published on: January 31, 2017

Recalling taboo and nontaboo words.

Timothy Jay1, Catherine Caldwell-Harris, Krista King

  • 1Department of Psychology, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA 01247, USA. t.jay@mcla.edu

The American Journal of Psychology
|April 29, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Emotional and taboo words are remembered better, but they benefit less from deep processing compared to neutral words. This suggests arousal, not just depth, influences recall for taboo and emotional terms.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Emotional and taboo words are recalled better than neutral words.
  • Deep processing (semantic) enhances recall more than shallow processing (visual).
  • The interaction between word type (emotional/taboo vs. neutral) and processing depth on recall is under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how depth of processing affects the recall of emotional and taboo words.
  • To determine if the benefit of deep processing extends to emotionally charged and taboo vocabulary.
  • To explore the role of arousal in memory for taboo and emotional words.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a levels of processing paradigm across two experiments.
  • Compared recall rates for neutral, emotional, and taboo words under shallow and deep encoding conditions.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory
07:26

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

Published on: January 31, 2017

  • Analyzed recall performance based on word type and processing depth.

    • Main Results:

    • Taboo and emotional words showed less benefit from deep processing compared to neutral words.
    • Recall was consistently higher for taboo words, irrespective of encoding depth.
    • Findings support the hypothesis that arousal levels influence memory encoding for taboo and emotional words.

    Conclusions:

    • The enhanced recall of taboo and emotional words may be primarily driven by arousal, even with shallow processing.
    • Deep processing offers diminishing returns for emotionally salient or taboo content.
    • Results align with cognitive neuroscience findings on memory and emotional salience.