Retrieval from temporally organized situation models

Time is an important part of establishing situations in the world. As such, temporal information should be reflected in the organization of information into situation models. This article reports 3 experiments that explore whether people will integrate sets of related facts into situation models in a time-based fashion. People memorized lists of facts and then took a speeded recognition test. A retrieval interference methodology was used to assess whether they had integrated the facts into situation models. The presence of interference indicated a lack of integration. In contrast, a marked reduction or an absence in interference indicated integration. In 2 experiments, time-based integration was observed when common time periods were referred to by either events (e.g., "when the camera flashed") or verb tense (i.e., past, present, and future). A 3rd experiment demonstrated that common time periods alone are not sufficient; the information must be allowed to occur potentially within the same situation.