Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Long-Term Memory01:18

Long-Term Memory

246
Long-term memory is a relatively permanent type of memory, capable of storing vast amounts of information over extended periods. Its storage capacity is generally considered unlimited.
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
246
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

953
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or...
953
Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

199
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...
199
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

504
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
504
Explicit Memories01:27

Explicit Memories

190
Explicit memories, also known as declarative memories, are consciously remembered, recalled, and reported. Studying for a chemistry exam involves material that will become part of explicit memory. There are two types of explicit memory: episodic and semantic.
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
190
Purposive Learning01:22

Purposive Learning

197
E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a...
197

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Forget For Now, but Remember Later: Can People Selectively Remove Information From Working Memory While Keeping it in Long-Term Memory?

Journal of cognition·2026
Same author

Bindings for Action: Bridging the Gap Between Theories of Procedural Working Memory and Action Control Research.

Journal of cognition·2026
Same author

The benefit of removing information from working memory: Increasing available cognitive resources or reducing interference?

Cognition·2025
Same author

How should the advancement of large language models affect the practice of science?

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

The misalignment of incentives in academic publishing and implications for journal reform.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Removing information from working memory with a delay: Effective but not beneficial.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
07:59

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

8.0K

Intent matters: Resolving the intentional versus incidental learning paradox in episodic long-term memory.

Vencislav Popov1, Hannah Dames1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Zurich.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|July 28, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Intent to remember information significantly impacts long-term memory, contrary to prior beliefs. New research shows intent matters, but traditional study designs mask this effect on episodic memory.

More Related Videos

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test
09:13

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

Published on: May 16, 2017

11.5K
Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
11:01

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Published on: August 30, 2011

13.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
07:59

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

8.0K
A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test
09:13

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

Published on: May 16, 2017

11.5K
Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
11:01

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Published on: August 30, 2011

13.7K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Traditional research suggests memory intent doesn't affect long-term memory.
  • This conclusion stems from pure-list between-subjects designs.
  • Intentional vs. incidental learning groups historically show equal memory performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of intent in episodic long-term memory using mixed-list designs.
  • To re-evaluate the established notion that memory intent has no effect.
  • To explore alternative explanations for why intent effects are masked in pure-list designs.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted 11 experiments using mixed-list designs.
  • Participants made semantic judgments on words, with specific color cues for items to remember.
  • Tested alternative explanations including inhibition, output interference, selective encoding, and threshold-shifting.

Main Results:

  • A substantial difference in memory performance was found between intentionally and incidentally learned items in mixed-list designs.
  • The threshold-shifting account was strongly supported.
  • Intent to remember enhances item-context associations, but incidental learners compensate in pure-list designs, leading to deficits.

Conclusions:

  • Intent always matters for long-term memory formation.
  • The effect of intent is masked in traditional between-subjects designs.
  • Researchers should reconsider the role of intent in memory research.