The proposal is for an experimental study of episodic memory. A major goal is to demonstrate the viability of a unique metatheoretical framework within which human memory can be conceptualized and studied. Contrary to contemporary practice, the proposed research was conceived, is presented, and will eventually be reported from a radical funtionalist perspective. No reference will be made to the core information-processing construct of retention; no hidden entities or processes will be postulated to bridge the temporal gap between an event and its recollection. Neither will recourse be made to most of the other information-processing constructs. Rather, recall will be considered in probabilistic terms and as a function of various conditions and combinations of conditions. On the other hand, emphasis will be given to the experiential side of memory. Research conducted within this framework should be simpler and easier to extend to the study of memory pathology than research conducted within an information-processing framework. The particular research proposed should provide basic information relevant to an understanding of the nature of amnesia as well as to memory of the deaf. Much of the proposed research will involve presenting subjects (mostly college students) with lists of items (usually randomly selected words) and then, after a variable interval, administering one of several kinds of memory tests. The experiments fall into seven """"""""studies"""""""". Study 1 concerns generic memory--the ability to remember a set of previously studied items as a set. Study 2 will examine certain specific behavioral effects, evident in amnesics as well as in normals, of an earlier experience that cannot be recollected. Study 3 will investigate the insensitivity of cued recall to variables that affect free recall and recognition. Study 4 will explore evidence that the effectiveness of a recall cue depends upon its manner of presentation. Study 5 will examine the conditions under which effective rehearsal occurs and its degree of specificity. Study 6 will pursue tentative evidence for a blocking effect on the ability to study particular items of information. Finally, Study 7 explores a """"""""law"""""""" whereby verbal information is more likely to ascend and persist in mind if it is heard than if it is read.
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