Event model retrieval and daily interference

Abstract

The differential fan effect was used to assess the influence of periods of daily, generalised interference. Experiment 1 replicated the differential forgetting effect as a control for the other experiments. Experiment 2 involved fact learning in either the morning or the evening with a 12-hr testing delay. It might be expected that experiencing more generalised interference during the retention interval would impair memory, but no differences in response times were observed, and only very small differences in the error rates were observed. Experiment 3 replicated Experiment 2 but with a 24-hr delay. In this way, the influence on memory of the proximity of daily, generalised inference to the learning experience could be assessed. Although one might expect worse memory when more interference occurred closer to the learning phase, no clear differences were observed. This is consistent with the idea that event model memory is relatively stable soon after encoding.