TRUE DIRECTED FORGETTING IN PIGEONS MAY OCCUR ONLY WHEN ALTERNATIVE WORKING-MEMORY IS REQUIRED ON FORGET-CUE TRIALS

Results of directed-forgetting research with pigeons are difficult to interpret because of alternative nonmemorial accounts of performance d ecrements and important procedural differences from comparable researc h with humans. Prior research has noted the absence of directed forget ting when artifacts have been removed (e.g., nonreward following forge t cues and differences in response patterns on remember and forget tri als in training). In this article, it is argued that, in human directe d-forgetting research, presentation of a forget cue allows for the rea llocation of memory maintenance to items to be remembered. In the pres ent experiment, true directed forgetting is found when nonmemorial per formance decrements are eliminated and forget cues allow for the reall ocation of sample memory to test-relevant cues.