On the representation of events: a study of orientation, recall, and recognition

Examined the representation of real-world events in memory as a function of orientation toward a videotaped sequence in which 2 people play a board game. In 4 experiments, analyzed subjects' segmentation of the videotaped sequence into events, using a technique developed by Newtson (1973). A comparison of segmentation patterns with performance on recognition, recall, and cued-recall tasks indicated that recall of events changed as a function of subjects' orientation toward the videotape, whereas recognition of events did not. The authors conclude that orientation toward an episodic sequence affects how rather than what events are represented in memory. An account of how orientation might affect the encoding and the representation of events is offered.