The Effect of One Experience upon the Recall of Another

Abstract

An exploratory experiment was made to show how one experience may exert an influence upon the recall of another, and how both may lose their separate identities in memory, to become merged into what Bartlett has described as an active organization of related experiences. The original material was a story, and the experience interpolated between it and its recall was a picture which illustrated part of it, in some respects correctly, in others incorrectly. Some subjects were asked to recall the story, others the picture, after from one to four weeks, or in a few cases a year.

The picture was viewed under the influence of the attitudes induced by the story. These determined its selection from a number of other unrelated pictures, to be perceived as a related experience. In consequence only few details gained attention, and these were interpreted in terms of the attitudes induced by the story, in some cases contrary to the meaning given to them by the rest of the picture. Other details without significance in the theme of the story were neglected. In its turn, seeing the picture favoured the recall of some aspects of the theme of the story, details not reinforced by the picture tending to be left out in recall. Many picture details intruded into the reproductions of the story. This tendency was progressive, and at the end of a year picture and story details were not separated. Especially, the picture brought about changes in the points of emphasis in the story.