Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
919877 | Acta Psychologica | 2013 | 13 Pages |
Memory tasks combining storage and distracting tasks performed at either encoding or retrieval have provided divergent results pointing towards accounts of forgetting in terms of either temporal decay or event-based interference respectively. The aim of this study was to shed light on the possible sources of such a divergence that could rely on methodological aspects or deeper differences in the memory traces elicited by the different paradigms used. Methodological issues were explored in a first series of experiments by introducing at retrieval computer-paced distracting tasks that involved articulatory suppression, attentional demand, or both. A second series of experiments that used a similar design was intended to induce differences in the nature of memory traces by increasing the time allowed for encoding the to-be-remembered items. Although the introduction of computer-paced distracting tasks allowed for a strict control of temporal parameters, the first series of experiments replicated the effects usually attributed to event-based interference. However, deeper encoding abolished these effects while time-related effects remained unchanged. These findings suggest that the interplay between temporal factors and event-based interference in forgetting at short term is more complex than expected and could depend on the nature of memory traces.
► We compare memory tasks combining storage and processing at encoding or recall. ► The two paradigms have previously provided divergent results. ► We show that this is not due to task setting but to the nature of memory traces. ► Superficial encoding makes memory traces susceptible to interference. ► Consolidated memory traces resist interference but are prone to temporal decay.