| Abstract: | The process of memory updating enables people to recall information most recently associated with a particular stimulus context and to ignore or forget information previously associated with it. In a series of five experiments utilizing mnemonic devices it was found that when associative interference was maximized, only a limited disruption of updating resulted. In addition, mnemonic recall was not dependent on the utilization of higher-order memory components. However, support was found for the hypothesis that memory can be searched using temporal cues and for the idea that the size of the search set formed in memory is important. It was found that the older the event was to be recalled, the greater were the number of events in the search set and therefore the greater was the magnitude of the recall error. The size of the search set created in memory and the role of temporal-contextual cues in defining this search set may be important factors not only in mnemonic recall but in other types of learning and recall as well. |
