The influence of distinctive processing on retrieval-induced forgetting

Recall of a portion of a previously experienced list benefits subsequent re call of that portion of the list but leads to poorer recall of nonpracticed items from the same set (Anderson, Bjork, & Bjork, 1994). One explanation for this retrieval-induced forgetting is that during practice of part of a set, the nonpracticed items compete for recall and are suppressed; this sup pression process inhibits later recall of the nonpracticed items. Two exper iments were conducted to investigate the relationship between distinctive p rocessing of the original set and retrieval-induced forgetting, on the assu mption that distinctive processing reduces response competition. In the fir st experiment, distinctive processing induced by difference judgments among the studied items did reduce forgetting relative to a standard encoding ta sk and a similarity judgment task. In fact, the difference judgment task co mpletely eliminated retrieval-induced forgetting. In the second experiment, the similarity-judgment task was analyzed in relation to a task assumed to foster associative integration (Anderson & McCulloch, 1999). Even though t he similarity judgment met the requirements for associative integration, re trieval-induced forgetting persisted following similarity judgment. The res ults are consistent with the view that distinctive processing benefits memo ry within an organizational context (Hunt & McDaniel, 1993; Smith & Hunt, i n press).