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The effect of animacy on metamemory
Ping Li1, Xiaoyu Jia2, Xinyu Li3
1Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Yingbin Road 688, Jinhua, 321004, Zhejiang Province, China.
Memory & Cognition
|February 20, 2016
Summary
The animacy effect, where people remember animate items better, extends to metamemory judgments. Beliefs about animacy, not processing fluency, significantly influence these judgments of learning.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Metamemory Research
- Human Memory Studies
Background:
- The animacy effect demonstrates that animate stimuli are recalled better than inanimate stimuli, impacting basic memory processes.
- Limited research has explored whether the animacy effect influences higher cognitive functions, specifically metamemory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of stimulus animacy on judgments of learning (JOLs).
- To examine the roles of processing fluency and beliefs in mediating the animacy effect on JOLs.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Participants studied animate and inanimate words, making immediate JOLs.
- Experiments 2a & 2b: Processing fluency was assessed via study time and font-based fluency disruption.
- Experiment 3: Participants completed questionnaires about beliefs regarding animacy and memory.
Main Results:
- Participants reported higher JOLs for animate words compared to inanimate words (Experiment 1).
- Processing fluency minimally contributed to the animacy effect on JOLs (Experiments 2a & 2b).
- Beliefs about animacy's memory advantage substantially influenced JOLs (Experiment 3).
Conclusions:
- Animacy serves as a reliable cue for monitoring learning in higher cognitive processes like metamemory.
- Beliefs, rather than processing fluency, are the primary drivers of the animacy effect on judgments of learning.
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