The inhibition hypothesis of unlearning suggests that A-B recall might be facilitated after A-C learning if A-C were inhibited by a third list. The first experiment showed that while A-C can be interfered with by a C-C'r list, A-B retention loss increased, contrary to prediction. A second experiment varied the A-C inhibition task without effect on A-B recall. However, in a third experiment, data consistent with the inhibition hypothesis were obtained when the B items were from a different response class than all the other items on the A-C and C-C'r lists.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdamsJ. A.Human memory. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
2.
BarnesJ. M.UnderwoodB. J.“Fate” of first-list associations in transfer theory. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1959, 58, 97–105.
3.
CohenB. H.BousfieldW. A.WhitmarshG. A.Cultural norms for verbal items in 43 categories. Technical Report No. 22, Univer. of Connecticut, Contract Nonr 631 (00) ONR, 1957.
4.
DelpratoD.GarskofB.Unlearning in the absence of new learning. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 1969, 8, 388–392.
5.
PostmanL.Unlearning under conditions of successive interpolation. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1965, 70, 237–245.
6.
PostmanL.KeppelG.StarkK.Unlearning as a function of the relationship of successive response classes. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1965, 69, 111–118.
7.
ThorndikeE. L.LorgeI.The teacher's word book of 30,000 words. New York: Bur. of Publ., Teachers Coll., Columbia Univer., 1944.
8.
WinerB. J.Statistical principles in experimental design. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962.
