Effects of context on different kinds of fact learning

Context affects human memory. Similarities between learning and retrieval environments facilitate memory, whereas dissimilarities disrupt memory. However, it is unclear whether the type of information being learned is relevant. In this experiment, we explored whether 2-year-olds demonstrate different patterns of context-dependent memory for category-relevant and category-irrelevant facts. Children (N = 48) were exposed to unfamiliar objects in consistent (match condition) or variable (multiple condition) contexts across training and test trials. Objects were paired with category-relevant (e.g. 'This is used to play with cats.') or category-irrelevant (e.g. 'This looks like the one the cat stepped on.') facts. Children's memory for facts was assessed immediately following training and after a 10-min delay. Context affected memory differently for each type of fact. For category-irrelevant facts, there was no significant context effect immediately or after a delay. For category-relevant facts, a context condition difference was present after a delay. Results suggest that the effect of category relevance of information may influence when context affects learning.