Free recall dynamics in value-directed remembering

Abstract

An emerging literature on value-directed remembering has shown that people are able to encode and remember information that is more important. Researchers operationalize importance by differentially assigning value to the memoranda that participants are asked to encode and remember. In the present investigation, a slightly altered value-directed-remembering paradigm was used to investigate how value modifies the dynamics of memory organization and search in free recall. In Experiment 1, free recall dynamics were compared between a control and a value condition. In Experiment 2, we manipulated the order of presentation of the values by adding an ascending and a descending condition where values were presented congruently or incongruently with the evolution of temporal context. Experiments 3 and 4 paralleled Experiments 1 and 2 respectively, with the addition of overt rehearsal and an unexpected memory test for the numbers/values. Overall, the results indicated that value-directed encoding has an influence on measures of delayed free recall encoding, organization, and search processes.