Retrieval-Induced Forgetting and Its Effects on Episodic Memory

Abstract: Remembering and forgetting are closely related and paradoxically it seems as if the very act of remembering in some cases can lead to forgetting. The aim of present study is to examine if there is a difference in retrieval-induced-forgetting effect concerning different types of binding in long-term-memory. To investigate any potential differences two different associations were chosen; face-face and face-place. To investigate a potential impact of an emotionally loaded stimulus, both item types could appear as either neutral or negative. We found that the between-domain binding (place) generated more interference than the withindomain binding (face) and this in turn resulted in a greater RIF effect for item type place in trial type consisting of a neutral face and a neutral place compared to item type face in trial type consisting of a negative face and a neutral place. Furthermore, results indicate that a negative item type greatly reduces memory performance for both the neutral and the negative items.