Unlearning, spontaneous recovery, and the partial-reinforcement effect in paired-associate learning.

Silverstein, Albert

doi:10.1037/h0024119

Cited by 34 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…polated practice on a seconji list within a traditional Finally, an additional spurce of variation fnay lie retroactive inhibition paradigm (Ceraso & Hender-in the degree of original learning. Richardson and son, 1965;Silverstein, 1967). In this paradigm, Gough chose a criterion'^of tfiree perfect recitations second list recall is superior to first list recall over of a serial list of nonsense syllables.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Beneficial Effect of Sleep in an Extended Jenkins and Dallenbach Paradigm

Benson

Feinberg

1977

Psychophysiology

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Retention of a paired‐associate list of common nouns was tested under two conditions: original learning at night prior to 8 hrs of sleep (Sleep condition), and original learning in the morning prior to a day of normal waking activity (Waking condition). Both conditions were subdivided so that retention was tested at intervals of 8, 16, and 24 hrs after original learning. For both paced and free recall measures of retention, the Sleep condition proved superior to the Waking condition at the 8 hr interval. At 24 hrs, when the amounts of sleep and waking were equated across both conditions thus normalizing for potential interference, the superiority of the Sleep condition over the Waking condition was also observed. There were no differences in retention between the Sleep and Waking conditions at 16 hrs after original learning. This finding was largely influenced by improved recall on the part of subjects in the Waking condition in the interval between 8 and 16 hrs. It was concluded that the consolidation during sleep of verbal materials learned shortly before sleep onset has a beneficial effect on their recall and temporal stability in the 8 to 24 hr period following original learning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Beneficial Effect of Sleep in an Extended Jenkins and Dallenbach Paradigm

Benson

Feinberg

1977

Psychophysiology

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“…Such 'spontaneous recovery' e ects have been reported on numerous occasions in the pairedassociates paradigm using the MFR (e.g., Briggs, 1954;Underwood, 1948) and MMFR tests (e.g., Forrester, 1970;Silverstein, 1967), although in some studies the e ects were small or absent (e.g., Birnbaum, 1965;Koppenaal, 1963;Slamecka, 1966). An early review of the literature indicated that the presence or absence of a recovery e ect was to some extent dependent on the researchers' method of statistical analysis (A.…”

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confidence: 96%

Persistence and plasticity in the human memory system: An empirical investigation of the overwriting hypothesis

Hardwicke¹

2017

Preprint

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The human memory system must resolve a critical tension, ensuring that knowledge endures over time (persistence), whilst simultaneously retaining a capacity for updating when knowledge is outdated or erroneous (plasticity). In this thesis, I examine the provocative idea that memory traces can be overwritten with new information, especially during transient periods of retrieval-induced plasticity that occur when a trace undergoes reconsolidation. A systematic review of human reconsolidation studies finds that the evidentiary support for this claim is remarkably tenuous. Furthermore, the theory fails to survive several strong empirical tests. In Experiments 1-7, I do not replicate a previous finding that is widely cited as a convincing demonstration of human reconsolidation. In Experiments 8-10, I revisit the ‘destructive updating’ account of the classic ‘misinformation effect’ in the context of reconsolidation theory. These experiments show that the effect can be eliminated when an appropriate recognition test is used, demonstrating that event traces are not irrecoverably lost, and therefore cannot have been overwritten during reconsolidation. In Experiment 11, I examine whether prior retrieval will help or hinder the correction of naturally occurring semantic misconceptions. Contrary to reconsolidation theory, I find that knowledge updating is not contingent on memory retrieval, nor does it result in the overwriting of prior knowledge.Finally, in the context of media ‘breaking news’ reports (Experiment 12), I find that the provision of an explicit retraction message, coupled with an alternative account with high causal coverage, is insufficient to eliminate reliance on false information. Finally, I contend that the widespread proliferation of ad hoc hypotheses, and the absence of systematic direct replication, has caused the field of reconsolidation to descend into a theoretical quagmire.I make several recommendations based on the principles of open science that may help to restore mechanisms of self-correction and foster genuine theoretical progress.

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“…Recent experiments indicate,however, that rises in first-listrecall are likely to be observed after intervals of the order of half an hour (Forrester, 1970;Kamman & Melton, 1967;Martin & Mackay, 1970;Postman, Stark, & Fraser, 1968;Postman, Stark, & Henschel, 1969;Shulman & Martin, 1970). The conditions under which recovery may be expected after intervals of a day or more (e.g., Abra, 1969;Ceraso & Henderson, 1965, 1966Silverstein, 1967) remain to be fully specified. Taken together, the demonstrations of the phenomenon have been sufficiently frequent, and in the most recent studies consistent and predictable, to support the historical and pragmatic usefulness of the extinction analogy.…”

Section: The Extinction Analogymentioning

confidence: 99%