Abstract
AbstractContext-dependent memory (CDM) is the effect whereby information is retrieved more accurately in the presence of the contextual information that was present during encoding than in the absence of that contextual information. Most previous CDM experiments have focused on spatial location, but contexts such as sights, smells, and sounds have also been shown to be effective mnemonic cues, although the research is more limited. In relation to auditory contexts, much of the previous research has focused on music and on adults. We were interested in determining whether auditory CDM effects could be found in a classroom setting in school-aged children using background noises. Across two experiments we found that the reinstatement of the auditory context improved memory performance for 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade students. Sounds, not just musical pieces, are stored in memory and can be effective contextual mnemonic cues. Further, (auditory) CDM effects can be found in young children. Teachers should be aware of the influence of contextual auditory cues in the classroom setting, and how this information is stored along with the focus of the teaching lesson.
Highlights
There are many instances in life when one attempts to encode a particular piece of target information, such as when you are having a conversation with another person and they say something interesting that you want to try to remember later
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence of auditory Context-dependent memory (CDM) effects being found in school-aged children, and one of the first studies to find any evidence of CDM in children (Cassaday et al, 2002), at least when context is considered to be external to the subject
We provide the first direct evidence that auditory CDM effects can be found in children tested in their own classrooms
Summary
There are many instances in life when one attempts to encode a particular piece of target information, such as when you are having a conversation with another person and they say something interesting that you want to try to remember later. Does not appear in a vacuum, but is always experienced in an information rich external environment and in a particular internal state. Research has shown that details of the context (which is comprised of both the external environment and internal factors present during encoding) are encoded and stored with the target information (Isarida & Isarida, 2014; Ucros, 1989). The majority of research on CDM has focused on place or location as a context (see Smith & Vela, 2001 for a review). Other contexts have been tested as well; including simple visual backgrounds like colors, video backgrounds, mood, odors, and auditory contexts (see Isarida & Isarida, 2014 for a review). The current study focuses on one of the least studied aspects of CDM, namely auditory CDM
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