Can the survival recall advantage be explained by basic memory processes?

Full Abstract

Nairne, Thompson, and Pandeirada (2007) demonstrated a striking phenomenon:
Words rated for relevance to a grasslands survival scenario were remembered better than identical words encoded under other deep processing conditions. Having replicated this effect using a novel set of words (Experiment 1), we contrasted the schematic processing and evolutionary accounts of the recall advantage (Experiment 2). Inconsistent with the schematic processing account, the grasslands survival scenario produced better recall than did a city survival scenario requiring comparable schematic processing. Recall in the grasslands scenario was unaffected by a self-reference manipulation. The findings are consistent with an evolutionary account that attributes the recall advantage to adaptive memory biases.

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Author information

Author/s: Weinstein, Yana (Y); Bugg, Julie M (JM); Roediger, Henry L (HL);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University College London, London, England. y.weinstein(-atsign-)ucl.ac.uk

Grants: 07322/-101970 (Agency:United Kingdom Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) ; 5T32AG00030 (Agency:United States NIA)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Memory & cognition (Mem Cognit), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jul; vol 36 (issue 5) : pp 913-9

Dates: Created 2008/07/16; Completed 2008/08/12;

PMID: 18630198, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adaptation, Physiological - physiology
Evolution
Female
Humans

Male
Memory
Mental Recall
Vocabulary

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