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Related Experiment Videos

Reverse-interference effect in free recall

A Thapar1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, USA. athapar@williams.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|March 1, 1996
PubMed
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The reverse-interference effect shows improved recall in interference conditions. This occurs because stimulus terms become more accessible, aiding memory retrieval.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human Memory
  • Learning and Forgetting

Background:

  • The traditional interference effect in memory suggests that learning similar material impairs recall.
  • D. J. Burns (1989) observed a reversal of this effect, termed the reverse-interference effect.
  • This effect challenges existing models of memory interference.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms underlying the reverse-interference effect.
  • To test alternative explanations for improved recall in interference conditions.
  • To support or refute the stimulus accessibility account.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental manipulation of learning conditions (interference vs. control).
  • Free recall tests for second-list response terms.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Systematic elimination of alternative explanations through controlled experiments (Experiments 2-7).

    • Main Results:

    • Results from Experiments 2-4 ruled out several proposed explanations for the reverse-interference effect.
    • Experiments 5-7 provided evidence supporting the stimulus accessibility account.
    • Participants' covert retrieval of stimulus terms as cues enhanced response term recall.

    Conclusions:

    • The reverse-interference effect is explained by increased stimulus term accessibility in interference conditions.
    • This greater accessibility facilitates the covert retrieval of stimulus cues for response terms.
    • The findings contribute to understanding the complex dynamics of memory interference and retrieval.