Does category labeling lead to forgetting?

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  • Author(s): Blanco N;Blanco N; Gureckis T
  • Source:
    Cognitive processing [Cogn Process] 2013 Mar; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 73-9. Date of Electronic Publication: 2012 Oct 12.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Springer Verlag Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 101177984 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1612-4790 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16124782 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Cogn Process Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: <2004->: Heidelburg : Springer Verlag
      Original Publication: Lengerich : Pabst Science, 2000-
    • Subject Terms:
      Concept Formation/*physiology ; Memory/*physiology ; Recognition, Psychology/*physiology ; Visual Perception/*physiology; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Pattern Recognition, Visual/physiology ; Space Perception/physiology ; Young Adult
    • Abstract:
      What effect does labeling an object as a member of a familiar category have on memory for that object? Recent studies suggest that recognition memory can be negatively impacted by categorizing objects during encoding. This paper examines the "representational shift hypothesis" which argues that categorizing an object impairs recognition memory by altering the trace of the encoded memory to be more similar to the category prototype. Previous evidence for this idea comes from experiments in which a basic-level category labeling task was compared to a non-category labeling incidental encoding task, usually a preference judgment (e.g., "Do you like this item?"). In two experiments, we examine alternative tasks that attempt to control for processing demands and the degree to which category information is explicitly recruited at the time of study. Contrary to the predictions of the representational shift hypothesis, we find no evidence that memory is selectively impaired by category labeling. Overall, the pattern of results across both studies appears consistent with well-established variables known to influence memory such as encoding specificity and distinctiveness effects.
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    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20121016 Date Completed: 20130815 Latest Revision: 20211021
    • Publication Date:
      20240829
    • Accession Number:
      10.1007/s10339-012-0530-4
    • Accession Number:
      23064883