TY - JOUR
T1 - The production effect in recognition memory: Weakening strength can strengthen distinctiveness.
AU - Bodner, Glen
AU - Jamieson, Randall K.
AU - Cormack, David
AU - McDonald, Dawn-Leah
AU - Bernstein, Daniel M.
PY - 2016/6/1
Y1 - 2016/6/1
N2 - Producing items (e.g., by saying them aloud or typing them) can improve recognition memory. To evaluate whether production increases item distinctiveness and/or memory strength we compared this effect as a function of the percentage of items that participants typed at encoding (i.e., 0%, 20%, 50%, 80%, and 100%). Experiment 1 revealed a strength-based pattern: The production effect was similar across pure-list (i.e., 0% vs. 100%) and mixed-list (i.e., 20%, 50%, 80%) designs, and there was no observed influence of statistical distinctiveness (i.e., 20% vs. 80%). In Experiment 2, we increased the study time for unproduced items to minimise the strength difference between produced and unproduced items. The manipulation attenuated the pure-list effect without eliminating the mixed-list effect, providing support for the inference that the mixed-list effect reflects distinctiveness. An influence of statistical distinctiveness also emerged: The mixed-list effect was larger when participants produced only 20%, rather than 80%, of the items. These findings suggest that both strength and distinctiveness contribute to the production effect in recognition.
AB - Producing items (e.g., by saying them aloud or typing them) can improve recognition memory. To evaluate whether production increases item distinctiveness and/or memory strength we compared this effect as a function of the percentage of items that participants typed at encoding (i.e., 0%, 20%, 50%, 80%, and 100%). Experiment 1 revealed a strength-based pattern: The production effect was similar across pure-list (i.e., 0% vs. 100%) and mixed-list (i.e., 20%, 50%, 80%) designs, and there was no observed influence of statistical distinctiveness (i.e., 20% vs. 80%). In Experiment 2, we increased the study time for unproduced items to minimise the strength difference between produced and unproduced items. The manipulation attenuated the pure-list effect without eliminating the mixed-list effect, providing support for the inference that the mixed-list effect reflects distinctiveness. An influence of statistical distinctiveness also emerged: The mixed-list effect was larger when participants produced only 20%, rather than 80%, of the items. These findings suggest that both strength and distinctiveness contribute to the production effect in recognition.
KW - distinctiveness
KW - memory strength
KW - percent produced
KW - production effect
KW - recognition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84973137270&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/cep0000082
DO - 10.1037/cep0000082
M3 - Article
SN - 1196-1961
VL - 70
SP - 93
EP - 98
JO - Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology-Revue Canadienne de Psychologie Experimentale
JF - Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology-Revue Canadienne de Psychologie Experimentale
IS - 2
ER -