Recalling more each time: context change effects in hypermnesia.

Hypermnesia, the increase in recall over trials without relearning or re-exposure to the studied items, has intrigued researchers since Ballard first reported the effect in 1913. In the typical hypermnesia study, additional retrieval trials are unexpected, and when announced, may induce context changes that re-focuses attention and effort on retrieving unrecalled items. The present studies examined the effects of context change on retrieval by telling some participants prior to study (trials-known condition) that three trials will be given to recall line drawings (Experiment 1) or words (Experiment 2) whereas others were not so informed (hypermnesia condition).

The benefits of item-method-directed forgetting.

The present experiments examined the encoding and retrieval conditions in an item-method-directed forget (IMDF) study that included a novel control condition. In the IMDF condition, half of the items were followed by a remember cue whereas the other half were followed by a forget cue. In a remember-both control condition, half of the items were followed by an item identifier called Set A; whereas the other half of the items were followed by a Set B identifier.

Directed forgetting of emotionally valenced faces.

An item-method directed forgetting task was used in three studies to present photographs of happy, neutral and sad faces to participants who had been induced to adopt a happy, neutral or sad mood. At test remember, forget or new judgments of old and new photographs of happy, neutral or sad faces were collected. According to the affect-as-cognitive-feedback hypothesis positively valenced stimuli serve as 'go signals' validating the use of currently accessible cognitions to process task demands whereas negatively valenced stimuli serve as 'stop signals' inhibiting or reversing the use of those cognitions.

Relationships between racial-ethnic identity, self-esteem and in-group attitudes among First Nation children.

Positive in-group distinctiveness has been associated with self-esteem increases among adolescents and adults. To examine whether in-group biases are associated with self-esteem enhancement among minority group children, Native Canadian children (N = 414, 209 female) age 6-11 completed each year for 5 years, measures assessing their level of concrete operational thought, racial-ethnic identity, racial-ethnic centrality, implicit and explicit self-esteem, and implicit and explicit in-group attitudes. According to cognitive developmental theory, increases in the level of concrete operational thought will predict increases in racial-ethnic identity, and increases in identity should, in turn, predict more favorable in-group attitudes.

Development of racial-ethnic identity among First Nation children.

Elements of racial-ethnic identity, often found among adolescents from racial-ethnic minority groups, have their origins in middle childhood and pre-adolescence. The present study explored the developmental trajectory of some of those components among Native Canadian children living on relatively remote First Nation communities. Children and young adolescents (N = 414,209 female) between the ages of 6-11 completed measures assessing their level of racial-ethnic identity, concrete operational thought, implicit and explicit self-esteem, implicit and explicit in-group attitudes, and the importance of their racial-ethnic identity each year for 5 years.

Directed forgetting of faces: the role of response criterion.

In two experiments, we examined recognition for faces following item method directed forgetting. During testing, participants reported whether the face was a new face or, if they thought it was a studied face, they identified the instruction paired with the face during study. In both experiments, the proportion of new faces falsely recognized and classified as forget faces exceeded those falsely recognized and classified as remember faces.