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Memory for script actions: effects of relevance and detail expectancy
1North Dakota State University, Fargo.
Memory & Cognition
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Memory for script actions depends on both relevance and expectancy. Unexpected details are better recalled and recognized, while medium relevance actions are best recalled.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Studies
Background:
- Script theory explains how people understand and remember common events.
- The role of action relevance and detail expectancy in memory is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the relevance of script actions and the expectancy of their details influence memory recall and recognition.
- To determine if relevance and expectancy play independent or interacting roles in memory.
Main Methods:
- Developed script actions varying in relevance and detail expectancy.
- Conducted Experiment 1 testing recall of these actions.
- Conducted Experiment 2 testing recognition of these actions.
Main Results:
- Medium relevance actions were recalled better than high or low relevance actions.
- Unexpected details were recalled and recognized better than expected details.
- Recognition varied with relevance, with high-relevance actions recognized least.
Conclusions:
- Both relevance and expectancy of details are crucial for memory of script actions.
- Relevance and expectancy may influence memory through distinct mechanisms.
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