Selective remembering and directed forgetting are influenced by similar stimulus properties
Dillon H Murphy1, Alan D Castel1
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Memory (Hove, England)
|June 22, 2022
Summary
Word properties like animacy and emotionality affect both remembering and intentionally forgetting information. These findings suggest memory and forgetting processes share similar underlying characteristics.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
Background:
- Prior research explored how word characteristics influence memory recall.
- It remained unclear if these properties also affect intentional forgetting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if properties of words influence both remembering and directed forgetting.
- To determine if memory and forgetting processes are governed by similar factors.
Main Methods:
- Six experiments utilized an item-method directed forgetting task.
- Participants were presented with words varying in font size, animacy, emotionality, concreteness, frequency, and length.
- Words were designated as either to-be-remembered or to-be-forgotten.
Main Results:
- Animacy, emotionality, concreteness, frequency, and word length significantly influenced both remembering and forgetting.
- Font size did not show a significant effect on either memory process.
- These word characteristics impact directed forgetting similarly to memory recall.
Conclusions:
- The properties of presented words play a role in both memory recall and directed forgetting.
- Findings support the hypothesis that memory and forgetting mechanisms are governed by shared characteristics.
- This research deepens the understanding of the interplay between memory encoding and retrieval inhibition.
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