Memory for frequency as a function of environmental context

Abstract

Comparative or absolute judgments of word-presentation frequency were studied in two experiments involving proactive-interference (PI) and retroactive-interference (RI) designs, manipulation of same and different environmental contexts for list presentation, and manipulation of same and different environmental contexts (relative to the critical list) for the frequency-judgment task. Comparative judgments yielded both PI and RI. Absolute judgments produced not only PI and RI, but also an interaction with the two context factors. PI and RI groups judged most accurately when the two lists had been presented in different contexts and judgment took place in the critical list context, and when the two lists had been presented in the same context and judgment was in a neutral context. Poorest performance occurred when presentation context was the same and judgment occurred in the same context, and when presentation contexts were different but judgment was in the nontarget list context.