Effects of mobilizing prior knowledge on information processing: Studies of free recall and allocation of study time

Abstract

In this study, three experiments examine the effects of mobilizing prior knowledge on information processing. Subjects generated names of either US presidents or States before studying a relevant list. Study time allocated to different parts of the list and free recall were recorded. In Expt 1, study time was unlimited; no recall differences were found but experimental subjects spent less time studying the material. In Expt 2, total study time was fixed, but subjects were free to allocate the available time to individual items. Experimental subjects spent less time on items in the mobilized category and recalled more items. This facilitative effect of mobilization extended or ‘spilled over’ from mobilized to non‐mobilized information. In Expt 3, where both time for studying individual items and, hence, total study time were fixed, experimental subjects recalled more mobilized category items than controls. These results were interpreted in terms of a cognitive set‐point regulating the amount of time spent on processing different parts of the material. Mobilization reduces the time required to reach criteria set for mobilized category items during study since these items have been processed previously. Finally, these experiments prove that the set‐point hypothesis applies not only to items actually mobilized but also to non‐mobilized same‐category items, probably through a process of spreading activation at mobilization.