On interpreting the effects of repetition: Solving a problem versus remembering a solution

Abstract

When a problem is repeated, the later presentation of the problem sometimes results in the subject responding by remembering the solution rather than by going through the operations that would otherwise be necessary to solve the problem. The means of obtaining the solution is shown to influence subsequent retention performance; retention of the solution suffers if it has been obtained by remembering rather than by solving the problem. The distinction between solving a problem and remembering a solution is used in an account of the effect of spacing repetitions and other standard memory phenomena. The relevance of the distinction to tasks such as word perception is also discussed.