Semantic memory and the generation effect: Some tests of the lexical activation hypothesis

John M. Gardiner, James A. Hampton
1985 Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory and Cognition  
A word from a list is more likely to be recalled if it was self-generated rather than read. This finding--the generation effect--has been attributed to semantic memory and, more particularly, to the enhanced activation of the semantic features comprising a word's representation in the subjective lexicon. Three experiments showed that a similar generation effect occurs for meaningful but not for meaningless letter bigrams (e.g., E T vs. E C); for unitized but not for nonunitized 2-digit numbers
more » ... e.g., 28 vs. 2, 8); and for familiar but not for unfamiliar noun compounds (e.g., cheesecake vs. cheese ketchup). These results indicate that semantic memory involvement is critical to the generation effect only in that the item to .be recalled must form some integrated functional unit. Representation in the subjective lexicon is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the effect to emerge. Improved Reproduction of Photomicrographs in Behavioral Neuroscience Behavioral Neuroscience is pleased to announce new and improved photomicrograph reproduction. Previously, photomicrographs lacked the high resolution needed for detailed study. Beginning in 1985, the photomicrograph will appear twice: once in the text, as usual, and again in a special added signature of better quality, coated paper stock that will yield substantially more detail.
doi:10.1037/0278-7393.11.1-4.732 fatcat:kd3j4vj52jfjdio3rv75faxztu