Related Experiment Videos
The verbal overshadowing effect: why descriptions impair face recognition
C S Dodson1, M K Johnson, J W Schooler
1Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. chadd@violet.berkeley.edu
Memory & Cognition
|March 1, 1997
Summary
Describing a face makes it harder to recognize later. This verbal overshadowing effect occurs even when descriptions are generated or when unrelated faces are described, impacting memory recall.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Memory
- Face Recognition
Background:
- The verbal overshadowing effect describes how verbalizing a memory can impair recall.
- Previous research indicates that describing a face can hinder subsequent recognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the verbal overshadowing effect on face recognition.
- To examine the impact of self-generated versus provided descriptions.
- To explore the influence of describing unrelated faces on recognition memory.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted involving face perception and memory recall.
- Participants either generated their own face descriptions or were provided with them.
- Recognition accuracy was measured after various description conditions.
Main Results:
- A significant verbal overshadowing effect was observed when participants described faces.
- Generating descriptions led to poorer recognition compared to provided descriptions.
- Describing unrelated faces also impaired recognition of the target face.
- Instructions to manage competing memories had differential effects based on description source.
Conclusions:
- Verbalizing face information can disrupt accurate face recognition.
- Mechanisms may involve source confusion between visual and verbal memory traces.
- Processing shifts during recognition may also contribute to the observed effects.