Modified: 2020-04-07
We measure memory in the process of retrieving items from storage. We know little still about the physiological mechanisms of memory or the parts of the brain involved. Recall is when we attempt to retrieve items from memory with a minimum of retrieval cues. For example, I might ask you to list the presidents of the United States. Most students will have trouble recalling more than half of the presidents. Another example would be a question from earlier in this course like, "Who is generally considered to be the first psychologist?" Or, a more difficult question would be, "Who was his most famous student?" Free recall is when ret retrieval cues are minimal, as above. Cued recall is when hints, or additional retrieval cues are given. For example, the first psychologist's name starts with a "W." Generally, we recall fewer items than we recognize.
Recognition is when we are asked to remember whether or not a certain item is the correct one. For example, was Rutherford B. Hayes a president? (He was; was he on your list above?) How about Chester Allen Garfield? (No, Chester Allen Arthur was and so was Garfield, but his first and middle names were different.) We recognize more than we recall because the tasks are different. By the way, essay tests are more like recall and multiple choice tests are more like recognition. I like to give tests with both kinds of items because then I learn more about what students have learned.
Finally, relearning is a task that involves learning an item, forgetting it, and then learning that same item again. Relearning is not used much to study learning because people do not completely forget items. Hopefully, you will not have to relearn this course next semester. (In other words, pass it the first time around.) Ebbinghaus, whom we will cover soon, used relearning in his pioneering studies of memory.
