Retrieval of internally versus externally generated words in episodic memory

Abstract

The mnemonic value of internal stimulus generation was investigated in a series of experiments. Subjects either decided if an experimenter-generated word fit a specified context, or they generated a word to fit the context. The results indicated that internal generation of stimulus words consistently induced higher levels of memory performance than did the encoding of experimenter-generated words. The generation factor proved to be a potent one as it tended to override the effects of encoding orientation and encoding congruity. It is argued that the greater memorability for subject- over experimenter-generated words is a result of: (1) the personal reference attribute of the generation operation per se as well as its information content, and (2) the considerable effort required to produce an item to fit a specified context.