Abstract
Two experiments were performed in order to explore the relationship between two memory phenomena that determine one's ability to keep track of continually changing information: attribute similarity and information organization. In Experiment 1, attribute similarity was minimized while information organization was varied. Results showed that the memory requirements involved in maintaining numerous object-attribute associations (i.e., grouping) did not hinder subjects’ ability to successfully retrieve information, but did affect temporal aspects of the retrieval process itself. In Experiment 2, information organization was varied under conditions of greater attribute similarity. In the presence of substantial information similarity, information organization had a beneficial effect, allowing for greater recall accuracy when the information could be meaningfully grouped, while also not incurring a temporal cost. The type of retrieval errors were also classified and discussed.
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