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Automatic retrieval of new associations under shallow encoding conditions
E M Reingold1, Y Goshen-Gottstein
1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. reingold@psych.toronto.edu
Consciousness and Cognition
|March 1, 1996
Summary
Stronger retrieval cues enhanced new word associations. Both automatic and controlled processes contributed to these effects, regardless of cue strength.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
Background:
- Understanding associative memory formation is crucial for cognitive science.
- Retrieval cues play a significant role in accessing and reconstructing memories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of retrieval cue strength on the formation of new word associations.
- To differentiate the roles of automatic and controlled processes in associative memory.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted using word-stem completion tasks.
- Participants studied word pairs with or without context word line drawings (strong vs. weak cues).
- Experiment 1 used an indirect retrieval instruction; Experiment 2 used the process dissociation procedure (inclusion/exclusion).
Main Results:
- A larger priming effect for new associations was observed in the strong cue group compared to the weak cue group.
- Both consciously controlled and automatic retrieval processes were found to mediate the associative effect in both cue conditions.
Conclusions:
- Retrieval cue strength significantly influences the magnitude of associative priming.
- Associative memory effects are mediated by a combination of automatic and controlled cognitive processes.