Divided attention during encoding and retrieval: Differential control effects?

Previous studies have shown that divided attention (DA) during retrieval ha s little effect on recall of episodic memories, although DA during encoding has a large detrimental effect. One possible reason for this asymmetry is that stimulus presentation at encoding is under experimenter control, where as retrieval operations and responses are under participant control. This e xperiment tested this possibility by presenting paired-associate word lists for learning and recall, either at a fixed 4-s rate or at a rate controlle d by the participant. The results showed that the higher recall levels for DA at retrieval than for DA at encoding held under all combinations of expe rimenter and participant control. The implications of these results for a f uller understanding of encoding and retrieval processes are discussed.