Effects of criterion level on associative memory: Evidence for associative asymmetry

Publication date: August 2014 Source:Journal of Memory and Language, Volume 75 Author(s): Kalif E. Vaughn , Katherine A. Rawson A wealth of research has established that retrieval practice promotes subsequent memory, particularly when the retrieval attempt is successful. Furthermore, the number of successful retrievals during practice (i.e., criterion level) dramatically influences final test performance. For example, Vaughn and Rawson (2011) had participants learn Lithuanian–English word pairs via test–restudy practice until they were correctly recalled. Despite retrieval practice always occurring in the forward direction during practice (A – ?), performance increased as a function of criterion level both on final forward (A – ?) and backward (? – B) cued recall tests. Importantly, the performance gain across criterion levels appeared asymmetric, as the gains were much larger in the forward versus backward cued recall direction. However, one potential explanation for the observed asymmetry in criterion level effects is that the materials strongly favored forward cued recall, as retrieving Lithuanian versus English is inherently more difficult for native English speakers. The present experiments utilized English–English pairs to more appropriately investigate whether the effects of criterion level on associative memory are symmetric or asymmetric. Across experiments, results from recall and recognition tests indicated that criterion level effects on associat...

Source: Journal of Memory and Language - November 4, 2014 Category: Speech Therapy Source Type: research