Abstract
Four experiments were conducted in support of a role for memory retrieval inhibition in directed forgetting. In each experiment, subjects were presented a list of words, some of which they were instructed to remember and some of which they were instructed to forget. After a recall test for all the words, the list was repeated. This time, however, all the words were presented with instructions that they be remembered. The improvement in recall from Trial 1 to Trial 2 was greater for the “forget” (F) words than for the “remember” (R) words. This difference was not due to a memorization-difficulty, item-selection effect (Experiment 2), a differential priority for rehearsal or output position given to the F items on Trial 2 (Experiment 3), or the greater number of F items left to be learned after Trial 1 (Experiment 4). Thus, the differential improvement from List 1 to List 2 for the F items was interpreted as a release of retrieval inhibition owing to the change in cue from forget to remember.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bjork, R. A. (1970). Positive forgetting: The noninterference of items intentionally forgotten.Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior,9, 255–268.
Bjork, R A. (1972). Theoretical implications of directed forgetting. In A. W. Melton & E. Martin (Eds.),Coding processes in human memory. Washington, DC. Winston.
Bjork, R. A., &Geiselman, R. E (1978). Constituent processes in the differentiation of items in memory.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory,4, 347–361.
Bugelski, B. R. (1970). Words and things and images.American Psychologist,25, 1002–1012.
Geiselman, R. E. (1974). Positive forgetting of sentence material.Memory & Cognition,2, 677–682.
Geiselman, R. E., Bjork, R. A., &Fishman, D. L. (1983). Disrupted retrieval in directed forgetting A link with posthypnotic amnesia.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,112, 58–72
Geiselman, R. E., Mackinnon, D. P., Fishman, D. L., Jaenicke, C., Larner, B., Schoenberg, S., &Swartz, S. (1983). Mechanisms of hypnotic and non-hypnotic forgetting.Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning, Memory, & Cognition,9, 626–635
Kihlstrom, J. F. (1977). Models of posthypnotic amnesia. In W. E Edmonston (Ed.),Conceptual and investigative approaches to hypnosis and hypnotic phenomena (Vol. 296) New York: New York Academy of Sciences
Kihlstrom, J. F,&Evans, F. J. (1976). Recovery of memory after posthypnotic amnesiaJournal of Abnormal Psychology,85, 564–569.
Reed, H. (1970). Studies of the interference processes in short-term memory.Journal of Experimental Psychology,84, 452–457
Roediger, H. L., &Tulving, E. (1979) Exclusion of learned material from recall as a postretrieval operation.Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior,18, 601–615.
Weiner, B. (1968). Motivated forgetting and the study of repression.Journal of Personality,36, 213–234.
Weiner, B., &Reed, H. (1969) Effects of instructional sets to remember and to forget on short-term retention: Studies of rehearsal control and retrieval inhibition (repression)Journal of Experimental Psychology,79, 226–232.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Geiselman, R.E., Bagheri, B. Repetition effects in directed forgetting: evidence for retrieval inhibition. Memory & Cognition 13, 57–62 (1985). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03198444
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03198444