The emergence of item-specific encoding effects in between-subjects designs: perceptual interference and multiple recall tests.

Full Abstract

The perceptual-interference effect occurs when interference with word perception (by backward masking) enhances later memory for the word. In terms of the item-specific-relational framework (Hunt & McDaniel, 1993), this effect is similar to other manipulations that enhance item-specific encoding (such as the generation effect). One similarity is that item-specific effects typically do not arise in between-subjects designs. However, the present experiment demonstrates that a between-subjects perceptual-interference effect emerges over multiple recall tests. Furthermore, perceptual interference produces both more intertest gains (indexing enhanced item-specific processing) and more intertest losses (indexing disrupted relational encoding) compared with the intact (control) condition. Finally, delaying the mask to a point at which it no longer interferes with perception (266 msec) eliminates both the perceptual-interference recall advantage and the increase in intertest gains. This condition still produces more intertest losses, however. Together, these results imply that a delayed mask disrupts relational encoding but produces no item-specific enhancement, dissociating the two effects of the perceptual-interference manipulation.

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Author information

Author/s: Mulligan, Neil W (NW);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275-0442, USA. mulligan(-atsign-)mail.smu.edu

Grants: 1-R03-MH61324-01 (Agency:United States NIMH)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Psychonomic bulletin & review (Psychon Bull Rev), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Jun; vol 9 (issue 2) : pp 375-82

Dates: Created 2002/07/17; Completed 2003/01/30; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12120803, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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