Three Studies of Retroactive-Inhibition during Free-Recall from a Disinhibition Perspective

Abstract

The effect of a whistle (hypothesized to be disinhibiting) on retroactive-inhibition was studied in three experiments each using a 2 (whistle, no whistle) × 3 (retroactive-inhibition, unrelated list, unrelated task conditions) factorial design. In Exp. 1 an unexpected blast (whistle condition) was presented as Ss began terminal List 1 recall. In Exp. 2 the whistle was presented as Ss began the first test trial of List 2 acquisition. In Exp. 3 the whistle was presented as Ss began the third (and terminal) test trial of List 2 acquisition. The disinhibition hypothesis was not supported. The whistle impeded the organization of List 1 in Exp. 1. The whistle reduced the amount of transfer in List 2 in Exp. 2. The whistle had no effect on relatively well learned material in Exp. 3. A novel stimulus tends to disrupt labile learning. The effects are specific and transitory.